Gānsù

Pop 25.9 million

Why Go?

Synonymous with the Silk Road, the slender province of Gānsù (甘肃) flows east to west along the Héxī Corridor, the gap through which goods and ideas once streamed between China and Central Asia. The constant flow of commerce left Buddhist statues, beacon towers, forts, chunks of the Great Wall and ancient trading towns in its wake. Gānsù offers an entrancingly rich cultural and geographic diversity. Historians immerse themselves in Silk Road lore, art aficionados swoon before the wealth of Buddhist paintings and sculptures, while adventurers hike through desert rockland, ascend sand dunes and tread along high-mountain paths well worn by Tibetan nomads. The ethnic diversity is equally astonishing: throughout the province, the local Hui Muslims act as though the Silk Road lives on; in Xiàhé and Lángmùsì a pronounced Tibetan disposition holds sway, while other minority groups such as the Bao’an and Dongxiang join in the colourful minority patchwork.

When to Go

AFeb & Mar Join the Tibetan pilgrims for the magnificent Monlam Festival in Xiàhé.

AApr & May Before the full heat of summer switches on.

ASep & Oct For crisp northern Gānsù autumnal colours, blue skies and cooler climes.

Best Places to Eat

A Mǎzilù Beef Noodles

A Nirvana Restaurant & Bar

A Zhāixīng Gé

A Zhengning Lu Night Market

A Happy Homemade Yunnan Taste

Best Places to Sleep

A Nirvana Hotel

A Silk Road Dūnhuáng Hotel

A Bean Sprout Hostel

A Boke Youth Hostel

Gānsù Highlights

1 Mògāo Grottoes Viewing the wealth of iconography at one of the most important Buddhist sites on the Silk Road.

2 Bǐnglíng Sì Gazing up at the giant Buddha carved into a desert cliff at this remote temple.

3 Zhāngyē Dānxiá National Geopark Photographing the rainbow of desert colours on these Martian-like hills.

4 Màijī Shān Grottoes Ascending nerve-rattling catwalks for a peek inside these Buddhist caves.

5 Singing Sands Mountain Stargazing over dunes with a glass of Mogao wine in hand.

6 Labrang Monastery Going with the Tibetan flow around the kora at Gānsù's most important monastery.

7 Lángmùsì Hiking to your heart’s content around this chilled-out Amdo town.

8 Jiāyùguān Fort Feeling the Gobi wind in your hair standing on the ramparts of this ancient mud fortress.

9 Yǎdān National Park Witnessing the setting sun melt over eerie desert rock formations.

History

Although the Qin dynasty had a toehold on eastern Gānsù, the first significant push west along the Héxī Corridor came with the Han dynasty. An imperial envoy, Zhang Qian (Chang Ch’ien), was dispatched to seek trading partners and returned with detailed reports of Central Asia and the route that would become known as the Silk Road. The Han extended the Great Wall through the Héxī Corridor, expanding their empire in the process. As trade along the Silk Road grew, so did the small way stations set up along its route; these grew into towns and cities that form the major population centres of modern Gānsù. The stream of traders from lands east and west also left their mark in the incredible diversity of modern Gānsù. The Buddhist grottoes at Mògāo, Màijī Shān and elsewhere are testament to the great flourishing of religious and artistic schools along the Silk Road.

The mixing of cultures in Gānsù eventually led to serious tensions, which culminated in the Muslim rebellions of 1862 to 1877. The conflict left millions dead and virtually wiped out Gānsù’s Muslim population. Ethnic tensions have never fully left the province as the pro-Tibetan demonstrations in Xiàhé in 2008 and 2012 illustrate.

Though remote from the investment banks and manufacturing hubs along the east coast of China, Gānsù is not a poor province. Gross Domestic Product has been growing at a higher rate than the already blistering national average and massive investments in wind energy are fuelling the transformation of both the natural and urban landscapes.

Climate

Gānsù rarely sees any rain outside of the southern regions, and dust storms can whip up, particularly in the spring. Winters are nippy from November to March. Summer temperatures in the desert regions can top 40°C. It's important to keep well hydrated and pack adequate skin protection.

8Getting There & Away

Lánzhōu airport has flights around the country; other airports such as Dūnhuáng, Jiāyùguān and outside Xiàhé only have a handful of flights to major cities, with fewer flights in the winter.

8Getting Around

Both trains and buses are handy for connecting the province’s Silk Road sights, and the addition of a new high-speed rail linking Lánzhōu with Ürümqi in Xīnjiāng has cut the time between cities significantly. In southern Gānsù you are largely at the mercy of buses, though upgrades to highways in recent years have cut travel times significantly.

Lánzhōu 兰州

%0931 / Pop 3.61 million

At China’s cartographic bullseye, Lánzhōu (兰州) marks the halfway point for overlanders trekking across the country. Growing up on a strategic stretch of the Yellow River (黄河; Huáng Hé), and sitting between competing Chinese and Central Asian empires, Gānsù’s elongated capital city frequently changed hands, reflected today in its mix of ethnic groups and cultures. These days, Lánzhōu is perhaps most well known for its favourite food – Lánzhōu beef noodles (牛肉拉面; niúròu lāmiàn) – and with several excellent night markets, this is an excellent place to sample the delights of Chinese Silk Road fare. Lánzhōu's reputation as being hazy and traffic-choked is also changing with the building of a new metro, which should be open by the time you read this.

Lánzhōu

1Sights

1White Cloud TempleA1

2White Pagoda TempleA1

3Zhōngshān BridgeA1

4Sleeping

4JI HotelD4

5JJ Sun HotelD2

5Eating

6Mǎzilù Beef NoodlesB1

7NéngrénjùD3

8Zhengning Lu Night MarketB2

6Drinking & Nightlife

9Sunny CoffeeB1

8Information

10Western Travel AgencyD2

Transport

11Gānsù Airport Booking OfficeD2

12Lánzhōu East Bus StationD3

13Lánzhōu Long-Distance Bus StationD4

14Tiānshuǐ Bus StationD4

15Upper Cable Car StationA1

16Yellow River Cable CarA1

1Sights

Sandwiched between mountains, the city sprawls in an east–west concrete melange for over 20km along the banks of the Yellow River. There are some attractive neighbourhoods along the northwest, and a pleasant riverside promenade, but travellers moving onward to other places in Gānsù may find themselves spending a lot of time around the train station, where there is an assortment of hotels and eateries.

White Pagoda TempleBUDDHIST SITE

(白塔寺; Báitǎ Sì MAP GOOGLE MAP ; White Pagoda Park, Binhe Zhonglu; 白塔山公园宾河中路 h7am-8pm)F

This temple, built during the Yuan dynasty (1206–1368) for a fallen Tibetan monk, stands on a hilltop in White Pagoda Park (白塔山公园; Báitǎ Shān Gōngyuán) on the northern bank of the Yellow River and provides excellent city and river views on a clear day.

Enter from a gate on the north side of Zhōngshān Bridge (Zhōngshān Qiáo; 中山桥 MAP GOOGLE MAP ; Zhongshan Lu; 中山路 ) and walk up the stairs or catch the cable car on the south side a few blocks to the east.

Gānsù Provincial MuseumMUSEUM

(甘肃省博物馆; Gānsù Shěng Bówùguǎn %0931 233 9131; www.gansumuseum.com; 3 Xijin Xilu; 西津西路3号 h9am-5pm Tue-Sun)F

This museum has an intriguing collection of Silk Road artefacts with English descriptions, including inscribed Han dynasty wooden tablets used to relay messages along the Silk Road, and dinosaur skeletons.

The graceful Eastern Han (25 BC–AD 220) bronze horse galloping upon the back of a swallow is known as the 'Flying Horse of Wǔwēi'. Unearthed at Léitái near Wǔwēi, it has been proudly reproduced across northwestern China. Bring your passport for admission.

Take bus 1 (¥1, 40 mins) here from Lánzhōu train station.

White Cloud TempleTAOIST TEMPLE

(白云观; Báiyún Guān MAP GOOGLE MAP ; Binhe Zhonglu; 宾河中路 ¥10; h7am-6.30pm)

Founded in the 8th century, this largely rebuilt Taoist temple features five halls and was among the most important Quanzhen-order temples during the Qing dynasty.

WORTH A TRIP

THE BUDDHA CAVES OF BǐNGLíNG Sì

Bǐnglíng SìCAVE, BUDDHIST

(炳灵寺 %0930 887 9057; ¥50; h8am-6pm, closed Dec-Mar)

With its relative inaccessibility, Bǐnglíng Sì is one of the few Buddhist grottoes in China to have survived the tumultuous 20th century unscathed. Which is a good thing, as during a period spanning 1600 years, sculptors dangling from ropes carved 183 niches and sculptures into the porous rock of steep canyon walls. The cave art can’t compare to Dūnhuáng, but the setting, few tourists and the remarkable terraced landscapes you pass getting here make Bǐnglíng Sì unmissable.

Today the cliffs are isolated by the waters of the Liújiāxiá Reservoir (劉家峽水庫; Liújiāxiá Shuǐkù) on the Yellow River and hemmed in by a ring of dramatic rock citadels.

The star is the 27m-high seated statue of Maitreya, the future Buddha, but some of the smaller, sway-hipped Bodhisattvas and guardians, bearing an obvious Indian influence, are equally exquisite.

As you loop around past the Maitreya cave, consider hiking 2.5km further up the impressive canyon to a small Tibetan monastery. There might also be 4WDs running the route.

You can visit Bǐnglíng Sì as a day trip from Lánzhōu or en route to Xiàhé via Línxià. Take a boat or taxi from the town of Liújiāxiá. Frequent buses from Lánzhōu’s west bus station (¥20, 2½ hours) run to Liújiāxiá bus station. From there, you will need to take a 10-minute taxi (¥6) to the boat ticket office at the dam (大坝; dàbà). Try to catch the earliest buses possible from Lánzhōu (starting at 7am) to avoid getting stuck on the way back. The last return bus to Lánzhōu leaves at 6.30pm.

A covered speedboat (seating nine people) costs ¥700 for the one-hour journey. The boat ticket office will refuse to make the trip unless the boat is full, so independent travellers may have to wait for a small group to form; expect to pay around ¥150 per person in this case. In summer, you should have no trouble finding a seat, but in shoulder season, you may find yourself stranded.

Surprisingly, the much more scenic route to the caves is by hiring a private car (¥250 return). Out of Liújiāxiá, the road runs high into the rugged hills above the reservoir, and for 90 minutes you will twist and turn, dip and rise through a wonderland of corn-growing terraces laddering and layering every slope, mound, outcrop and ravine. The final descent to the green-blue reservoir, with its craggy backdrop, is sublime. Driver touts ply the bus station in Liújiāxiá; bargain hard for a good deal.

If heading to Línxià after the grottoes, there are frequent buses (¥21, three hours) from the station at Liújiāxiá.

You can also opt to stay overnight in Liújiāxiá for a less rushed experience. The Dorsett Hotel (临夏刘家峡帝豪大酒店; Línxià Liújiāxiá Dìháo Dà Jiǔdiàn 169 Huanghe Lu, Liújiāxiá; 黃河路169號, 劉家峽 tw/d ¥233/250; aiW) at the north end of town is a good option with huge rooms overlooking the Yellow River.

4Sleeping

Lánzhōu can be a frustrating place to book accommodation, especially if you're travelling on a budget. Many budget hostels and midrange places are off limits to foreigners, including some nationwide chains. Often, places billed as hostels are actually private apartments that have been fitted out with bunk beds. There is a useful branch of Jǐnjiāng Inn (锦江之星; Jǐnjiāng Zhīxīng) on Tianshui Nanlu if you get stuck.

JI HotelHOTEL$$

(全季酒店兰州天水南路店; Quánjì Jiǔdiàn MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %0931 889 4999; 161 Tianshui Nanlu; 天水南路161号 tw/d ¥408/417; aiW)

Bright and clean business hotel with Ikea-style furnishings and soft beds. Enjoys a handy location a five-minute walk from the train station.

JJ Sun HotelHOTEL$$$

(锦江阳光酒店; Jǐnjiāng Yángguāng Jiǔdiàn MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %0931 880 5511; 589 Donggang Xilu; 东岗西路589号 tw/d ¥459/590; ai)

This four-star choice has well groomed, spacious and affordable rooms. There’s a pleasant wood-panelled restaurant on the 2nd floor. It has a handy location across from the airport shuttle bus stop. Discounts of 40% are usual.

PRICE RANGES

SLEEPING

Price indicators are used for Gānsù are for a double room.

$ less than ¥150

$$ ¥150 to ¥500

$$$ more than ¥500

EATING

Price indicators are used for Gānsù are per meal.

$ less than ¥30

$$ ¥30 to ¥80

$$$ more than ¥80

5Eating

Lánzhōu is famous for its niúròu lāmiàn (牛肉拉面), beef soup with hand-pulled noodles and a spicy topping. There are plenty of places to try the dish, including on Huochezhan Xilu (left as you exit the train station) and Dazhong Xiang near the Zhōngshān Bridge. These streets are also lined with restaurants serving dumplings and noodle dishes. Most have picture menus.

oMǎzilù Beef NoodlesNOODLES$

(马子禄牛肉面; Mǎzilù Niúròu Miàn MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %0931 845 0505; 86 Dazhong Xiang; 大众巷86号 noodles ¥7; h6.30am-2.30pm)

In business since 1954, this place has locals flocking here for steaming bowls of the city's most well known export: spicy hand-pulled noodles (拉面; lāmiàn). Join the queue inside the door and ask for niúròu miàn (牛肉面). You'll be given a ticket, which you take to the kitchen counter where chefs will prepare your noodles fresh. Grab chopsticks from machines at the ticket counter.

Go early, as noodles are traditionally a breakfast food in Lánzhōu.

Zhengning Lu Night MarketMARKET$

(正宁路小吃夜市; Zhèngníng Lù Xiǎochī Yèshì MAP GOOGLE MAP ; Zhengning Lu; 正宁路 lamb sticks ¥1)

One of Lánzhōu's best night markets, this small pedestrian street is lined with vendors on both sides cooking up all manner of Silk Road delights. The mix of Hui, Han and Uighur stalls offer everything from goat’s head soup to steamed snails, ròujiābǐng (肉夹饼; mutton served inside a ‘pocket’ of flat bread), lamb dishes seasoned with cumin, dàpán jī (大盘鸡; large plate of spicy chicken, noodles and potatoes), dumplings, spare-rib noodles and more.

NéngrénjùHOTPOT$$

(能仁聚 MAP GOOGLE MAP ; 216 Tianshui Nanlu; 天水南路216号 hotpot from ¥35; h11am-10pm)

At this Běijīng-style shùan yángròu (涮羊肉; traditional lamb hotpot) restaurant, the pot of broth costs ¥25, after which you can add sliced mutton (¥30), greens (¥10) and various other dishes. The restaurant is about 100m past the intersection with Minzhu Lu.

6Drinking & Nightlife

Much of Lánzhōu's nightlife is centred on its night markets, which heave with people especially at weekends. Vendors ply the markets with bottles of the local beer and spirits.

Several permanently docked 'beer boats' line the banks of the Yellow River near Zhōngshān Bridge. These open-air boats are pleasant places to while away an afternoon or evening supping on a Huang He beer on its eponymous river.

Sunny CoffeeCOFFEE, BAR

(桑昵的咖啡; Sāngnìde Kāfēi MAP GOOGLE MAP ; Dazhong Xiang; 大众巷 coffee ¥26, beer ¥45; h11am-10pm; W)

This cafe-bar serves coffees, juices and imported Belgian beers, and has free wi-fi. The live-in kitty is very friendly.

8Information

Bank of ChinaBANK

(中国银行; Zhōngguó Yínháng GOOGLE MAP ; 525 Tianshui Nanlu; 天水南路525号 h9am-5pm)

Has a 24-hour ATM.

China PostPOST

(中国邮政; Zhōngguó Yóuzhèng GOOGLE MAP ; 381 Huochezhan Donglu; 火车站东路381号 h9am-5pm)

Look for the green China Post sign to your right as you exit the train station.

ICBCBANK

(工商银行; Gōngshāng Yínháng GOOGLE MAP ; 475 Dingxi Nanlu; 定西南路475号 )

Twenty-four-hour ATM

Public Security BureauPOLICE

(PSB; 公安局; Gōng’ānjú GOOGLE MAP ; %0931 871 8610; 482 Wudu Lu; h8.30-11.30am & 2.30-5.30pm Mon-Fri)

Western Travel AgencyTRAVEL AGENCY

(西部旅行社; Xībù Lǚxíngshè MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %0931 882 0529; 486 Donggang Xilu; h8am-6pm)

On the 2nd floor of the west wing of Lánzhōu Fàndiàn. Offers tours around Lánzhōu (as far south as Xiàhé) and ticket bookings.

8Getting There & Away

Air

Lánzhōu Zhōngchuān Airport has flights to Běijīng (¥1460), Dūnhuáng (¥1466), Jiāyùguān (¥1576), Kūnmíng (¥1902), Shànghǎi (¥1750) and Xī’ān (¥480).

Gānsù Airport Booking Office (甘肃机场集团售票中心; Gānsù Jīchǎng Jítuán Shòupiào Zhōngxīn MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %0931 888 9666; 616 Donggang Xilu; 东岗西路616号 h9am-6pm) Can book all air tickets at discounted prices.

Bus

Lánzhōu has several bus stations, all with departures for Xīníng. The main long-distance bus station (兰州汽车站; Lánzhōu Qìchē Zhàn MAP GOOGLE MAP ; 129 Pingliang Lu; 平凉路129号 ) is just a ticket office, outside which you catch a shuttle bus 30 minutes before departure for the east bus station (汽车东站; Qìchē Dōngzhàn MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %0931 841 8411; 276 Pingliang Lu; 平凉路276号 ). Most bus journeys back into Lánzhōu end up at the east bus station; if you want to rough it on a sleeper to Zhāngyè or Jiāyùguān, buy a ticket directly at that station.

Journeys to and from the south of Gānsù, including to Xiàhé, go through the south bus station (汽车南站; qìchē nánzhàn). A taxi to the train station costs ¥45 and takes 45 minutes, or take bus 111 (¥1).

Services from the main long-distance bus station:

APíngliáng ¥125, five hours, hourly (7am to 6pm)

ATiānshuǐ ¥84, four hours, every 30 minutes (7am to 6pm)

AXīníng ¥59, three hours, every 30 minutes (7.10am to 8.10pm)

AYínchuān ¥124, six hours, seven per day (7am to 8pm)

The following services depart from the south bus station. Frustratingly tickets can only be purchased there, though can be bought just before departure:

AHézuò ¥74, four hours, every 25 minutes (7am to 4.30pm)

ALínxià ¥39, three hours, every 30 minutes (7am to 7.30pm)

AXiàhé ¥75, four hours, five daily (7.30am, 8.30am, 9.30am, 2pm, 3pm)

Note: there is no direct bus from Lánzhōu to Lángmùsì. Go to Hézuò and change.

The west bus station (汽车西站; qìchē xīzhàn) has frequent departures to Liújiāxiá (¥19.50, 2½ hours, 7am to 6pm), useful if you are heading to Bǐnglíng Sì.

Hidden off Tianshui Nanlu, the Tiānshuǐ bus station (天水汽车站; Tiānshuǐ Qìchēzhàn MAP GOOGLE MAP ; Tianshui Nanlu; 天水南路 ) has buses for eastern Gānsù, including Luòmén (¥55, four hours, hourly). To find the station, look for a large WC sign and turn right into the narrow alley.

Train

Lánzhōu is the major rail link for trains heading to and from western China. The city has two train stations: the centrally located Lánzhōu station (兰州火车站; Lánzhōu huǒchē zhàn) and Lánzhōu west railway station (兰州火车西站; Lánzhōu huǒchē xīzhàn). Both stations serve the Lánzhōu–Xīnjiāng high-speed rail line and airport trains, though the most frequent departures go from Lánzhōu Station.

In high season buy your onward tickets at least a couple of days in advance to guarantee a sleeper berth. For Dūnhuáng, double-check whether you are getting a train to the town itself or Liǔyuán, which is 180km away.

From Lánzhōu Station, there are frequent trains to the following:

ADūnhuáng Hard/soft sleeper ¥276/430, 13 to 15 hours, two daily direct to Dūnhuáng at 5.25pm and 5.50pm; the rest go to Liǔyuán

AJiāyùguān 1st/2nd-class seat ¥215/258, four hours; hard/soft sleeper ¥193/297, seven to 10 hours

AÜrümqi Hard/soft sleeper ¥418/659, 19 to 24 hours

AWǔwēi Hard/soft seat ¥47/72, 3½ hours

AXī’ān Hard/soft sleeper ¥184/283, eight to nine hours

AZhāngyè 1st/2nd-class seat ¥180/150, three hours

AZhōngwèi Seat/soft sleeper ¥47/159, five to six hours

From Lánzhōu West Railway Station, there are trains to the following:

AJiāyùguān South 1st/2nd-class seat ¥258/215, 4½ hours

AÜrümqi South 1st/2nd-class seat ¥658/549, 11½ hours

AXīníng 1st/2nd-class seat ¥70/58, one to 1½ hours

AZhāngyè West 1st/2nd-class seat ¥180/150, 2½ to 3½ hours

8Getting Around

Lánzhōu Zhōngchuān Airport is 70km north of the city. Airport shuttle buses (¥30, one hour) leave hourly from 5.30am to 7pm in front of the Gānsù Airport Booking Office on Donggang Xilu, near the JJ Sun Hotel. A taxi costs around ¥150.

A high-speed intercity rail line opened in 2015 connecting the airport with Lánzhōu's main railway station (40 to 50 minutes, ¥21.50 to ¥26) and Lánzhōu west railway station (30 to 40 minutes, ¥18.50 to ¥22), where you can get high-speed rail connections to Zhāngyè and Jiāyùguān.

Public buses cost ¥1; taxis are ¥7 for the first 3km. There is no bus from the train station to the south bus station, so you are better off taking a taxi for ¥35 for 45 minutes.

A cable car runs from the Yellow River Cable Car Station (黄河索道; Huánghé Suǒdào MAP GOOGLE MAP ; down/up/return adult ¥25/35/45, child ¥10/15/20; g34) to the Upper Cable Car Station (黄河索道上站; Huánghé Suǒdào Shàngzhàn MAP GOOGLE MAP ) for easy access to White Pagoda Temple (link).

Useful Bus Routes

ABuses 1 and 6 From the train station to the west bus station via Xiguan Shizi.

ABus 111 From Zhongshan Lu (at the Xiguan Shizi stop; 去汽车南站的111路公交车) to the south bus station.

ABuses 7 and 10 From the train station up the length of Tianshui Nanlu before heading west and east, respectively.

Southern Gānsù

Mountainous and largely verdant, the southern part of Gānsù is a sight to behold. The Tibetan-inhabited areas around Xiàhé and Lángmùsì are the principal enticements here – perfect stopovers for overlanders heading to or from Sìchuān or destinations in their own right. Southwest of Lánzhōu, the inspiring vistas of the Yellow River and the Buddhist grottoes of Bǐnglíng Sì, carved out of dusty desert cliffs, remain some of the best-kept secrets in the country.

8Getting There & Away

Southern Gānsù is not served by train, so transport radiates south from Lánzhōu by bus. The most popular destinations are generally within two to four hours of the capital, and the ever-expanding road network in the area means that connections are easy to come by.

Xiàhé 夏河

%0941 / Pop 80,000

The alluring monastic town of Xiàhé (夏河) attracts an astonishing band of visitors: backpack-laden students, insatiable wanderers, shaven-headed Buddhist nuns, Tibetan pilgrims in their most colourful finery, camera-toting tour groups and dusty, itinerant beggars. Most visitors are rural Tibetans, whose purpose is to pray, prostrate themselves and seek spiritual fulfilment at holy Labrang Monastery, around which Xiàhé has grown up.

In an arid mountain valley at 2920m above sea level, Xiàhé has a certain rhythm about it and visitors quickly tap into its fluid motions. The rising sun sends pilgrims out to circle the 3km kora (pilgrim path) that rings the monastery. Crimson-clad monks shuffle into the temples to chant morning prayers. It’s easy to get swept up in the action, but some of the best moments come as you set your own pace, wandering about town or in the splendid encircling mountains.

Xiàhé

1Top Sights

1Labrang MonasteryB1

1Sights

2BarkhangB1

7NunneryA1

8Thangka Display TerraceA2

4Sleeping

9Labrang Baoma HotelC1

10Labrang Red Rock International HostelC2

11Nirvana HotelC2

12Overseas Tibetan HotelC1

13Tara GuesthouseC2

5Eating

Nirvana Restaurant & BarC2

Snowy Mountain CafeC1

Tara RestaurantC2

6Drinking & Nightlife

14Norden CafeC2

1Sights

Xiàhé stretches northeast to southwest in a narrow valley along the eponymous Xià River (Xià Hé; 夏河). Labrang Monastery marks the division between Xiàhé’s mainly Han Chinese and Hui Muslim eastern quarter (where you'll find the bus station and a swath of Han-style shops and restaurants) and the older, low-rise Tibetan village to the west.

Labrang Monastery covers much of Xiàhé and a ticket to the monastery covers the main buildings on a guided tour. Several other buildings have their own admission fees, and tickets for those can be purchased at small ticket offices or from attendants at the entrances. In general, opening hours for the monastery's buildings are 8am to 5pm, although you can wander the grounds from very early in the morning, and many pilgrims begin walking the kora before dawn.

oLabrang MonasteryBUDDHIST TEMPLE

(拉卜楞寺; Lābǔléng Sì MAP GOOGLE MAP ; Renmin Xilu; 人民西路 tour ¥40)

With its succession of squeaking prayer wheels (3km in total), hawks circling overhead and the throb of Tibetan longhorns resonating from the surrounding hills, Labrang is a monastery town unto itself. Many of the chapel halls are illuminated in a yellow glow by yak-butter lamps, their strong-smelling fuel scooped out from voluminous tubs. Even if Tibet is not on your itinerary, the monastery sufficiently conveys the mystique of its devout persuasions, leaving indelible impressions of a deeply sacred domain.

In addition to the chapels, residences, golden-roofed temple halls and living quarters for the monks, Labrang is also home to six tratsang (monastic colleges or institutes), exploring esoteric Buddhism, theology, medicine, astrology and law.

Labrang Monastery was founded in 1709 by Ngagong Tsunde (E’angzongzhe in Chinese), the first-generation Jamyang (a line of reincarnated Rinpoches or living Buddhas ranking third in importance after the Dalai and Panchen lamas), from nearby Gānjiā. The monastery is one of the six major Tibetan monasteries of the Gelugpa order (Yellow Hat sect of Tibetan Buddhism). The others are Ganden, Sera and Drepung monasteries near Lhasa; Tashilhunpo Monastery in Shigatse; and Kumbum Monastery near Xīníng in Qīnghǎi.

At its peak, Labrang housed nearly 4000 monks, but their ranks greatly declined during the Cultural Revolution. Modern Labrang is again such a popular destination for young disciples that numbers are currently capped at 1800 monks with about 1600 currently in residence, drawn from Qīnghǎi, Gānsù, Sìchuān and Inner Mongolia.

Main Buildings

The only way to visit the interior of the most important buildings is on a tour (no photos allowed inside buildings), which generally includes the Institute of Medicine, the Manjushri Temple, the Serkung (Golden Temple) and the main Prayer Hall (Grand Sutra Hall), plus a museum of relics and yak-butter sculptures. English-language tours (per person ¥40) leave the monastery's ticket office (售票处; Shòupiàochù GOOGLE MAP ) around 10.15am and 3.15pm most days, and although they give plenty to see, they can feel a bit rushed. Outside those times you can latch on to a Chinese tour, with little lost even if you don't understand the language, but be aware you must purchase the ¥40 ticket to gain entrance to any of the buildings' interiors. Even better is to show up at around 6am or 7am, when the monks come out to pray and chant. At dusk the hillside resonates with the throaty sound of sutras being chanted behind the wooden doors.

Other Buildings

The rest of the Labrang can be explored by walking the inner kora (pilgrim path). Although many of the temple halls are padlocked shut, there are a couple of separate smaller chapels you can visit, though they can often be closed for unexplained reasons. Some charge admission. Among the most popular are the three-storey Barkhang, the monastery's traditional printing temple, as well as the Hall of Hayagriva with its enchanting murals, and the golden Gòngtáng Pagoda (贡唐宝塔; Gòngtáng Bǎotǎ, Gòngtáng Chörten MAP GOOGLE MAP ; Labrang Monastery, Renmin Xilu; 人民西路 ¥20), which offers incredible views over the whole monastery from its roof.

Access to the rest of the monastery area is free, and you can easily spend several hours just walking around and soaking up the atmosphere in the endless maze of mud-packed walls. The Tibetan greeting in the local Amdo dialect is Cho day mo? ('How do you do?') – a great icebreaker.

The best morning views of the monastery come from the Thangka Display Terrace ( MAP GOOGLE MAP ), a popular picnic spot, or the forested hills south of the main town.

Hall of HayagrivaBUDDHIST SITE

(马头明王殿; Mǎtóu Míngwáng Diàn, Hall of Horsehead Buddha MAP GOOGLE MAP ; Labrang Monastery, Renmin Xilu; 人民西路 ¥10)

A repository of vivid and bright murals, the hall encapsulates a startlingly fierce 12m-high effigy of Hayagriva – a wrathful manifestation of the usually calm Avalokiteshvara (Guanyin) – with six arms and three faces. The hall is down a side lane almost directly across from the lane to the Barkhang.

BarkhangBUDDHIST TEMPLE

(Printing Temple; MAP GOOGLE MAP ; Labrang Monastery, Renmin Xilu; 人民西路 ¥10)

The three-storey Barkhang serves as the monastery’s traditional printing temple. With rows upon rows of more than 20,000 wood blocks for printing, it’s well worth a visit, and photos are allowed. The Barkhang is off the main road down a small side lane. The temple typically closes for lunch for a couple of hours around noon.

Ngakpa GompaBUDDHIST SITE

(红教寺; Hóngjiào Sì MAP GOOGLE MAP ; Tibetan Village; 九甲忖 ¥5)

Visit this small Nyingmapa (Red Hat) school monastery to catch a glimpse of lay monks who wear striking red and white robes and have long, braided hair. No entry to actual school.

NunneryBUDDHIST SITE

(尼姑庵, Nígū’ān, Ani Gompa MAP GOOGLE MAP ; Tibetan Village; 九甲忖 ¥10)

This nunnery is on the hill above the Tibetan part of Xiàhé. The outer kora begins just to the left of here.

TRADITIONAL MEDICINE

Among the six tratsang (colleges) of Labrang Monastery, the Institute of Medicine is renowned throughout the Tibetan world. Many Tibetans and pilgrims come here to be seen by monastic doctors, and there are numerous small clinics around town that treat the ill and infirm. If you wish to be seen by a monastic doctor, it's best to ask advice from your guesthouse, or enquire at the Nirvana Hotel.

TTours

Guided tours of the surrounding area can be arranged by OT Travels & Tours, the couple who run Nirvana Hotel and the staff at Snowy Mountain Cafe. Most guesthouses in town can also help with day-trip arrangements.

zFestivals & Events

Festivals are central to the calendar for both the devotional monks and the nomads who stream into town from the grasslands in multicoloured splendour. Tibetans use a lunar calendar, so dates for individual festivals vary from year to year.

Monlam FestivalRELIGIOUS

(Great Prayer Festival)

This festival starts three days after the Tibetan New Year, which is usually in February or early March, with significant days accompanied by spectacular processions and prayer assemblies. Monlam Festival finishes with a creative display of monk-sculpted butter lanterns lighting up the 15th evening (and full moon) of the New Year.

LíNXIà AND ITS MINORITY COMMUNITIES

Línxià (临夏; population 202,500) is a centre of Chinese Islam settled by ancient Silk Road Muslims and now populated by their descendants. At one time known as Hézhōu (河州), the city's strategic location at the junction of the Silk Road and several north–south trade routes meant it was, for centuries, an important commercial centre. These crossing roads brought Muslim teachers from Central Asia and further afield, some of whom stayed and went on to turn Línxià into an important centre for Chinese Islamic scholarship, particularly Sufism. The city itself is occasionally used by travellers (and monks) to break up the trip between Xiàhé and Lánzhōu or Qīnghǎi. Línxià is home to more than 80 mosques and gǒngběi (拱北; Sufi master's shrine complexes) dotted all over town.

Spilling over a ridge high above Línxià and home to both Hui and Dongxiang minorities, the little market town of Suǒnánbà (锁南坝; population 12,000) has a single street that’s a hive of activity, with locals trading livestock and occasional shepherds shooing flocks about.

The town is sometimes also called Dōngxiāng (东乡) after the surrounding county. The Dongxiang people speak an Altaic language and are believed to be descendants of 13th-century immigrants from Central Asia, moved forcibly to China after Kublai Khan’s Middle East conquest.

Dàhéjiā (大河家; population 4500), with sweeping views over the Yellow River, towering red cliffs and (in summer) verdant green terraces, is a kaleidoscope of colour. The surrounding area is home to a significant population of Bao’an (保安族), Muslims who speak a Mongolic language. The Bao’an are famed for producing knives and share cultural traits with the Hui and Dongxiang. Their Mongol roots come out during summer festivals, when it is possible to see displays of wrestling and horse riding.

To Suǒnánbà, frequent minibuses (¥7, one hour) head up on the pleasant journey past terraced fields from Línxià’s east bus station.

You can visit Dàhéjiā when travelling on the road between Línxià and Xīníng. Most buses between the two will stop here. From Línxià you can also catch a frequent minibus (¥25, three hours) from the station (城郊汽车站; chéngjiāo qìchē zhàn) on the outskirts of town.

4Sleeping

Xiàhé has long been a traveller's destination, and is loaded with small guesthouses, inns and hotels catering to a variety of budgets. Most are located at the west end of Renmin Xilu/Zhaxiqi Jie near the entrance to Labrang Monastery.

A lot of hotels here utilise solar gain to power their hot-water supplies, so showering in the evening offers the best chance for scalding hot water in many places.

Overseas Tibetan HotelHOTEL$

(华侨饭店; Huáqiáo Fàndiàn MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %0941 712 2642; www.overseastibetanhotel.com; 77 Renmin Xijie; 人民西街77号 dm ¥50, d ¥200-300; W)

A well run and bustling place with wi-fi that reaches every corner, and solar powered hot water. The modern doubles have clean enclosed showers, flat-screen TVs and cushy, thick mattresses. Discounts of 20% in quiet periods.

It's owned by Losang, an energetic, likeable Tibetan with faultless English and in touch with the wants of travellers. Services include bike rental (¥20 per day), laundry, the OT Travels & Tours travel agency and the Everest Cafe with Western set breakfasts with yak yoghurt (¥30).

Tara GuesthouseGUESTHOUSE$

(卓玛旅社; Zhuōmǎ Lǚshè MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %0941 712 1274; 268 Yagetang; 雅鸽搪268号 dm ¥40, d ¥320, s/tw per bed without bathroom ¥85/100; W)

This long-established budget place is run by monks from Sìchuān and has extremely frugal dorms, small kàng rooms (shared shower) and doubles with private bathrooms. English is spoken at the front desk.

Labrang Red Rock International HostelHOSTEL$

(拉卜楞红石国际青年旅馆; Lābǔléng Hōngshí Guójì Qíngnián Lǚguǎn MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %0941 712 3698; 253 Yagetang; 雅鸽搪253号 dm/d ¥50/150; iW)

This Tibetan-themed, quiet hostel has pine-wood rooms, solar-powered hot showers, a restaurant-bar, and a beautiful display of thangka (Tibetan Buddhist paintings). Doubles are clean with futon-style beds, and YHA cardholders get a discount.

oNirvana HotelHOTEL$$

(德古园; Dégǔyuán MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %0941 718 1702; www.nirvana-hotel.net; 247 Yagetang; 雅鸽塘247号 d ¥300; naiW)S

Run by a friendly, English-speaking Tibetan-Dutch couple, Nirvana's cosy rooms are decorated tastefully in traditional Tibetan style, with giant, comfy beds. Small details make its slightly higher prices worthwhile: international plug boards, free coffee/tea/bottled water and toiletries. The bonus of having Nirvana's popular bar-restaurant downstairs and the friendliness of the proprietors make this a haven in this part of China.

Labrang Baoma HotelHOTEL$$

(拉卜楞宝马宾馆; Lābǔléng Bǎomǎ Bīnguǎn MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %0941 712 1078; Zhaxiqi Jie; 扎西奇街 dm ¥35, r from ¥480; i)

Pleasant and vibrantly colourful hotel with Tibetan-style courtyard and comfortable doubles with private bathroom. Discounts of 50% are common.

5Eating

For those who can’t make it to Tibet, Xiàhé provides an opportunity to develop an appetite for the flavours of the Land of Snows, whether it’s mómo (dumplings), tsampa (a porridge of roasted barley flour), yak-milk yoghurt or throat-warming glasses of the local barley-based firewater (chang in Tibetan, qīngkèjiǔ, 青课酒 in Chinese).

oNirvana Restaurant & BarTIBETAN, WESTERN$

(德古园; Dégǔyuán MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %0941 718 1702; 247 Yagetang; 雅鸽塘247号 dishes ¥15-35; h9am-9pm; aW)S

This lovely, bright restaurant serves Tibetan and Western dishes, such as the popular yak stew with potatoes (¥20), pizza and fresh espresso. The welcoming, casual vibe makes leaving Nirvana difficult, as does the long booze menu, which includes all the standards plus big bottles of locally brewed craft beer (¥45) and homemade 'cowboy barley wine'.

Snowy Mountain CafeTIBETAN, WESTERN$

(雪山餐厅; Xuěshān Cāntīng MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %151 0940 8910; Renmin Xilu; 人民西路 h9am-10pm; W)

This chilled-out spot caters to travellers with a menu of Tibetan, Chinese and Western staples, as well as a full-service bar. Try the Tibetan-style noodles (¥20) or yak steak (¥70). There's also a nice Western breakfast menu, including a set menu of eggs, toast, yoghurt and tea/coffee (¥30).

Tara RestaurantTIBETAN

( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; 268 Yagetang; 雅鸽搪268号 )

This restaurant on the ground floor of Tara Guesthouse serves some of the best mómo (Tibetan dumplings; ¥15) in town and is popular with monks for the many vegetarian options.

6Drinking & Nightlife

Norden CafeCAFE

(诺尔丹咖啡; Nuò'ěrdān Kāfēi MAP GOOGLE MAP ; Tengzhi Lu; 腾志路 tea ¥15; W)

Traveller-friendly cafe with warm pine-wood interior serving homemade cakes, soups and burgers, plus excellent tea and coffee. Lovely big window seats overlook Labrang Monastery's ticket office.

7Shopping

Xiàhé is an excellent place to look for Tibetan handicrafts, from cowboy hats and Tibetan trilbies, to chuba (Tibetan cloaks), monk’s boots, strings of prayer flag or thangka (Tibetan sacred art) paintings. Stacks of handicraft shops line Zhaxiqi Jie east of the monastery, and some painting shops are found off the southern kora (pilgrim path) alongside the river.

8Information

Xiàhé is located at nearly 3000m in altitude, and some travellers experience mild altitude sickness when they arrive. The most common complaints are headache, fatigue and dizziness. Take care not to overexert yourself, especially for the first 24 hours while you acclimatise.

China PostPOST

(中国邮政; Zhōngguó Yóuzhèng GOOGLE MAP ; 8 Renimn Xijie; h8am-6pm)

Déshèngtáng PharmacyPHARMACY

(德盛堂药店; Déshèngtáng Yàodiàn GOOGLE MAP ; 14 Renmin Xijie; h9.30am-9pm)

Western, Chinese and Tibetan medicine; just west of China Post.

ICBCBANK

(工商银行; Gōngshāng Yínháng GOOGLE MAP ; 98 Nanxiahe Jie; 南下河街98号 h8.30am-4pm)

Has an ATM and changes US dollars.

OT Travels & ToursTRAVEL AGENCY

( GOOGLE MAP ; %0941 712 2642; www.overseastibetanhotel.com/TravelAgency.htm; 77 Renmin Xijie; 人民西街77号 h8am-9pm)

This travel agency based at the Overseas Tibetan Hotel can arrange cars and English-speaking guides to nearby sights, and also specialises in overland tours from Lánzhōu, Xīníng and Chéngdū to Xiàhé.

WALK LIKE A TIBETAN

Following the 3km inner kora (pilgrim path) encircling Labrang Monastery is perhaps the best approach to grasping the giant temple's layout, scale and significance. The kora is lined with long rows of squeaking prayer wheels, whitewashed chörtens (Tibetan stupas) and chapels. Tibetan pilgrims with beads in their hands and sunhats on their heads, old folk, mothers with babies and children, shabby nomads and curious visitors walk in meditative fashion clockwise along the path (called zhuǎnjìngdào, ‘scripture-turning way’ in Chinese), rotating prayer wheels as they go. Look also for the tiny meditation cells on the northern hillside.

For a short hike, the more strenuous outer kora takes about an hour and climbs high above the monastery. To reach the start, head past the monastery’s western edge. About one block into the Tibetan village look for a large signpost (in Tibetan but it’s the only one around) on the right. Follow the alley up to the right, and make your way to the ridge, where you wind steeply uphill to a collection of prayer flags and the ruins of a hermitage ( MAP GOOGLE MAP ). The views of the monastery open up as you go along. At the end of the ridge there’s a steep descent into town.

8Getting There & Away

Trains don't run to Xiàhé, but it’s regularly serviced by bus. Most travellers head on to either Lánzhōu or Sìchuān; the road less travelled takes you over the mountains to Tóngrén in Qīnghǎi.

Air

Gānnán Xiàhé Airport (甘南夏河机场; Gānnán Xiàhé Jīchǎng), 65km south of Xiàhé, opened in late 2013 with flights to a number of cities, including Xī'ān (¥500), Běijīng (¥1330), Shànghǎi (¥1400) and Chéngdū (¥600). Book flights online in English at ctrip.com.

Bus

The following bus services depart from Xiàhé:

AHézuò ¥25, 1½ hours, every 30 minutes (6.10am to 5.20pm)

ALángmùsì ¥84, 3½ hours, one daily (7.40am)

ALánzhōu ¥76, 3½ hours, five daily (6.30am, 7.30am, 8.30am, 12.50pm and 2.30 pm)

ALínxià ¥31, two hours, every 30 minutes (7am to 5pm)

ATóngrén ¥41, Three hours, one daily (7.30am)

AXīníng ¥78, six hours, one daily (6.10am)

If you can’t get a direct ticket to/from Lánzhōu, take a bus to Línxià or Hézuò and change there. If heading to Xīníng, note that buses run there every 40 minutes from Tóngrén.

8Getting Around

There is no airport bus, but OT Travels & Tours can arrange a private taxi to the airport for ¥400. The journey takes an hour.

Xiàhé is easily walkable. A number of hotels and restaurants rent out bikes for ¥30 per day. Taxis cost ¥1 to ¥2 per seat for a short trip around town, including to the bus station and Labrang Monastery. Leaving the bus station, turn right for a 1km walk to the monastery and main part of town.

Around Xiàhé

Gānjiā GrasslandsAREA

(甘加草原; Gānjiā Cǎoyuán )

The Gānjiā Grasslands, 34km from Xiàhé, aren’t as pretty as those at nearby Sāngkē, but there is more to explore. From Xiàhé a bumpy road crosses the Naren-Ka pass (impassable after long rains) before quickly descending into wide grasslands dotted with herds of sheep and backed by ever-more dramatic mountain scenery.

Past Gānjiā Xiàn village, a side road climbs 12km to Nekhang, a cave complex where pilgrims lower themselves down ropes and ladders into two sacred underground chambers. A Dutch traveller fell to his death here in 2006, and to prevent the same fate we advise avoiding this place.

Just up the road from the caves is Trakkar Gompa (白石崖寺; Báishíyá Sì ¥30), a monastery of 90 monks set against a stunning backdrop of vertical rock formations. From Trakkar it’s a short drive to the 2000-year-old Han dynasty village of Bājiǎo (八角; Karnang ¥25). The remarkable 12-sided walls here still shelter a small living community. From the village it’s a short 5km diversion to the renovated Tseway Gompa (佐海寺; Zuǒhǎi Sì ¥30), one of the few Bön monasteries in Gānsù. Make sure you circumnavigate any holy site counterclockwise in the Bön fashion. There are great views of Bājiǎo from the ridge behind the monastery.

A four- to five-hour return trip to the Gānjiā Grasslands costs around ¥180 for a taxi from Xiàhé. An English-speaking driver and guide costs ¥450 for the full return trip and can be arranged at Snowy Mountain Cafe.

Sāngkē GrasslandsAREA

(桑科草原; Sāngkē Cǎoyuán )

Expanses of open grassland dotted with Tibetans and their grazing yak herds highlight a trip to the village of Sāngkē, 14km from Xiàhé. Development has turned the area into a small circus, complete with touristy horse rides and fake yurts, but there is good hiking in the nearby hills and you can keep going to more distant and pristine grasslands in the direction of Amchog.

You can cycle to Sāngkē from Xiàhé in about one hour. A taxi costs ¥50 return, or ¥250 for an English-speaking guide and driver; enquire at Snowy Mountain Cafe. The grasslands are lushest in summer.

Hézuò 合作

%0941 / Pop 90,000

The regional capital of Gānnán (甘南) prefecture, Hézuò (合作) mainly serves as a transit point for travellers plying the overland route between Gānsù and Sìchuān provinces. The city is also the site of the incredible Milarepa Palace, a bewitching Tibetan temple ranging spectacularly over nine floors.

Hézuò is a fairly compact town, with a large public square (文化广场; Wénhuà Guǎngchǎng) roughly halfway between the two bus stations.

Milarepa Palace Buddhist TempleBUDDHIST TEMPLE

(九层佛阁; Sekhar Gutok, Jiǔcéng Fógé ¥20; h7am-6pm)

About 2km from the bus station along the main road towards Xiàhé is this towering temple, ringed by prayer wheels. Resembling a boutique hotel, Milarepa is odd in the Tibetan world in that different spiritual leaders from varying sects are worshipped on each floor. The town’s main monastery, Tso Gompa (合作寺; Hézuò Sì, Hézuò Monastery Nawulu, 那吾路 h8am-6pm), is next door. A taxi here costs ¥2 to ¥3 from the central main bus station.

With Xiàhé just an hour to the north, there is little reason to stay overnight here, and the cheaper hotels often don't accept foreigners. If you get stuck, head for Butter Lamp Holiday Hotel (合作酥油燈假日酒店; Hézuò Sūyóudēng Jiàrì Jiǔdiàn %0941 591 1999; 25 Zhuoni Donglu; 卓尼東路25號 d ¥417; iW) right next to the main bus station.

There are restaurants around the public square, and also around the bus stations.

You’ll find banks with ATMs around the public square (文化广场; Wénhuà Guǎngchǎng).

8Getting There & Away

Hézuò is where buses from Zöigě (Ruò’ěrgài), in Sìchuān, and Lángmùsì and Xiàhé meet. Though there is no train station here; you can book tickets for other destinations at the train booking office just outside the central bus station on Zhuoni Donglu (卓尼东路).

Services from the central bus station (长途汽车站; chángtú qìchēzhàn):

ALánzhōu ¥74, four hours, every 30 minutes

ALínxià ¥30, 1½ hours, every 30 minutes

AXiàhé ¥15, One hour, every 30 minutes (7am to 4pm)

From the south bus station (汽车南站; qìchē nánzhàn):

ALángmùsì ¥50, three hours, three daily (6.30am, 10.20am and noon)

AZöigě ¥78, 3½ hours, one daily (7.30am)

8Getting Around

Most taxi rides around town cost ¥2. To get between the two bus stations take a taxi or bus 1 (¥1).

GāNJIā GRASSLANDS TO DáLǐJIā MOUNTAIN

It’s possible to hike over several days from the Gānjiā Grasslands to 4636m-high Dálǐjiā Mountain (达里加山; Dálǐjiā Shān), but you will need to be well equipped. Summer is the best season for such treks as you have more daylight hours, wildflowers and warmer weather. There are also treks between Tibetan villages and around Dàowéi Tibetan Village (道帏藏族乡; Dàowéi Zàngzú Xiāng; also called Guru).

OT Travels & Tours in Xiàhé can advise on these and other trips and arrange a car for four people for ¥500 per day and an English-speaking guide (for another ¥400); it can also arrange fun camping trips for overnighting on the grasslands.

Lángmùsì 郎木寺

%0941 / Elevation 3325m / Pop 4500

Straddling the border between Sìchuān and Gānsù is Lángmùsì (郎木寺; Taktsang Lhamo in Tibetan), an expanding and modernising alpine Amdo Tibetan village nestled among steep grassy meadows, evergreen forests of slender pine trees, crumbling stupas, piles of mani stones, and snow-clad peaks. Lángmùsì is a delightful place surrounded by countless red and white monastery buildings, flapping prayer flags, and the mesmerising sound of monks chanting at twilight.

The White Dragon River (白龙江; Báilóng Jiāng) divides the town in two, and the Sìchuān side has quickly become the far more comfortable part to stay in. From where the bus drops you off, most of the budget accommodation and restaurant options lie along this main street or just beside, with the Kerti Gompa up a small street on the left and Serti Gompa on a hillside to the right beyond the river.

1Sights

Kerti GompaBUDDHIST MONASTERY

(格尔盖寺; Gé'ěrgài Sì ¥30; h6.30am-8pm)

Rising up on the Sìchuān side of White Dragon River is this monastery – otherwise dubbed the Sìchuān Monastery – built in 1413, home to around 700 monks and composed of six temples and colleges. Try catching a glimpse of student monks in class by visiting the monastery in the morning and late afternoon. The admission is valid for two days.

Serti GompaBUDDHIST MONASTERY

(赛赤寺; Sàichì Sì ¥30; h6am-7.30pm)

This small monastery (simply referred to as the Gānsù Monastery) with golden- and silver-roofed halls dates from 1748 and stands on the Gānsù side of White Dragon River. The views are lovely from the uppermost temple building, looking back down into Lángmùsì town and along the White Dragon River.

zFestivals & Events

If you're in the area in late July, head out to Mǎqǔ (玛曲) to see the annual horse races. The exact dates change each year, so try contacting Lángmùsì Tibetan Horse Trekking for details on when they're being held. Mǎqǔ is 67km west of Lángmùsì. Traveller cafes and hotels in Lángmùsì can arrange transport to the town.

2Activities

Hiking

Bountiful hiking opportunities radiate in almost every direction. For all-day or overnight treks, including to Huágàishén Shān (华盖神山; 4200m), all the horse-trekking companies and most of the hostels in town can arrange a local guide.

Southwest of Kerti Gompa is Namo Gorge (纳摩峡谷; Nàmó Xiágǔ), which makes for an excellent two- to three-hour (return) hike. The gorge contains several sacred grottoes, one dedicated to the Tibetan goddess Palden Lhamo, the other a stone-tablet-labelled Fairy Cave (仙女洞; Xiānnǚ Dòng), where monks sometimes chant inside, which gives the town its Tibetan name (lángmù means 'fairy'). Cross rickety bridges flung over the gushing stream, trek past piles of mani stones and prayer flags, and hike on into a splendid ravine. After about 30 minutes of clambering over rocks you reach a grassy plain surrounded by towering peaks.

A popular trek is the hike along the White Dragon River to the river’s source (白龙江源头; Báilóng Jiāng Yuántóu), where domestic hikers go in search of chóngcǎo (虫草), a coveted herb used in Chinese medicine.

Another lovely walk heads out over the hills along a narrow paved road from the stupa at Serti Gompa (you must pay admission to pass through) to the small village of Jíkēhé Cūn (吉科合村). This hike can be combined with the hike to the White Dragon River source. When you reach the village, simply follow the loop and then head down a dirt path towards the valley below. Watch out for local dogs.

For glorious views over Lángmùsì, trek up the coxcomb-like Red Stone Mountain (红石崖; Hóngshí Yá). To start, turn right one street back (heading out of Lángmùsì) from the intersection where the bus drops off.

Horse Trekking

The mountain trails around Lángmùsì offer spectacular riding opportunities. There are two outfits in town offering similar one- to four-day treks overnighting at nomads’ tents and with the option of climbing nearby peaks along the way. Both companies have English-speaking staff and are good sources of travel information.

Lángmùsì Tibetan Horse TrekkingHORSE RIDING, CYCLING

(%0941 667 1504; www.langmusi.net; h8am-10pm)

This established, officially licensed outfit offers horse hire per day for ¥300 for a single traveller; ¥220 for two or more. In addition to guides, food and sleeping bags, trips include a package on nomad culture. If nobody's in the office, ask inside the Black Tent Cafe across the road.

Can also help with bike tours and rents bikes (¥60 to ¥80 per day).

Wind Horse TrekkingHORSE RIDING

(郎木寺白戊马队; Lángmùsì Báiwù Mǎduì %151 0944 1588; h8am-8pm)

Offers horse-riding packages starting at ¥180 per day (bring your own sleeping bag). Opposite the China Telecom office on Lángmùsì's main road. Often closed outside of high season.

Cycling

For serious cyclists, Lángmùsì is worth exploring on two wheels. The many dirt tracks snaking into the hills, Red Stone Mountain and the source of the White Dragon River all make for steep pedaling. Lángmùsì Tibetan Horse Trekking can help with bike tours and also rents bikes (¥60 to ¥80 per day).

4Sleeping

As Lángmùsì grows in popularity with domestic travellers, large tour-group hotels continue to spring up at a surprising pace. A number of good hostels are scattered through town as well, most of which can offer food or advice and a comfortable atmosphere for weary travellers.

Boke Youth HostelHOSTEL$

(泊客青年旅舍; BóKè Qīngnián Lǚshè %188 0666 1900; dm/s & d ¥30/60; aW)

This new addition to the Lángmùsì hostel scene offers large and clean dorms or small but cosy private rooms, along with a glassed-in patio where food is served. Head back from the bus drop-off towards the highway; it's on the left inside a courtyard just a bit past the China Post office.

Tibetan Barley Youth HostelHOSTEL$

(藏地青稞国际青年旅舍; Zàngdé Qīngkē Guójì Qīngnián Lǚshè %134 3879 8688; http://weibo.com/tibetanbarley; Sangqu Riverside, Muslim Village; 回民村桑曲河畔 dm ¥35-40, d/tw with shower from ¥100; aW)

This hostel has clean, colourful rooms (though dorms can feel a bit cramped), and a homely bar-lounge with Chinese meals and cushion seating. To get here go straight ahead from the bus drop-off, turn left down a small riverfront path just before the bridge; the hostel is on the left.

Comanager Yezi speaks good French and English, is full of travel information, can arrange tours and has even drawn a useful Lángmùsì map.

Yǒng Zhōng HotelHOTEL$$

(永忠宾馆; Yǒngzhōng Bīnguǎn %0941 667 1032; downhill from Kerti Gompa; 农村信用杜隔壁 tw ¥180-220; aW)

On the Sìchuān side of town is this pleasant family-run hotel with small, bright, modern rooms with air-con and 24-hour hot water. On street level keep an eye out for the shoe shop through which you access the hotel. Expect discounts of 45%.

Lángmùsì HotelHOTEL$$$

(朗木寺大酒店; Lángmùsì Dà Jiǔdiàn %0941 667 1555; langmusihotel@yahoo.com.cn; across from the entrance to Kerti Gompa; 格尔盖寺大门对面 d/tr ¥680/700; aiW)

This friendly four-storey hotel is the most upscale in Lángmùsì and offers pleasant, clean and spacious rooms in either standard or Tibetan styling. It’s on the road towards Kerti Gompa, just across from the ticket booth. Discounts of up to 30%.

5Eating

Hangzhou DumplingsDUMPLINGS$

(杭州小笼包; Hángzhōu Xiǎolóngbāo %152 5754 5988; downhill from Kerti Gompa; 信用杜斜对面 dishes ¥15-45; h7am-10pm, later in Jul & Aug; W)

This friendly family-run restaurant offers a wide range of Chinese dishes and top-quality dumplings. There is an English menu, but note that many of the prices are out of date so you'll need to compare to the regular menu to confirm.

Happy Homemade Yunnan TasteYUNNAN$

(源自原位; Yuánzì Yuánwèi dishes ¥12-45; h9am-10pm; W)

The Yunnanese folk at this family-run restaurant are infectiously happy. Sample the strong homemade báijiǔ (Chinese spirit) and you might be too. Popular with travellers for the guòqiáo mǐxiàn (Yunnanese hotpot) and huge servings of classics such as yúxiāng qiézi (red-pepper stewed eggplant). Located on the road to Kerti Gompa just up from the turn, and open late in summer.

Black Tent CafeTIBETAN$$

(黑帐蓬咖啡; Hēi Zhànpeng Kāfēi dishes ¥28-50; h8am-10pm; W)

Friendly service, a Tibetan-style interior, rooftop seating, proper coffee (from ¥25), and a good menu offering numerous Western and some Tibetan dishes are some of the highlights of this 2nd-floor cafe run by the folks at Lángmùsì Tibetan Horse Trekking. The cafe is one door up the side street from the intersection where the bus drops passengers off.

6Drinking & Nightlife

Bear's HouseCAFE

(熊窝客栈; Xióngwō Kèzhàn %153 4677 6632; h9.30am-11pm; W)

This 2nd-floor cafe overlooking the main street of Lángmùsì sells coffee (¥20), tea (¥15), and breakfast/snacks (¥15) in a cosy cafe setting with English menus. Guest rooms are in the works as well, but were not complete at the time of writing. On the main street halfway through town.

Bái Mǎ Méi DuŏBAR

(白玛梅朵主－客栈 %182 0941 8882; h7am-midnight; W)

Though it also features coffee from ¥35 and a mix of Western and Sichuanese dishes (¥28 to ¥68), this newcomer is most notable as the closest thing to a nightlife scene in Lángmùsì. Beer from ¥15 and tea from ¥25; located on the main road at the turn to Kerti Gompa.

8Information

There's nowhere to change money and no ATMs that accept foreign cards, so get plenty of cash before you arrive in Lángmùsì.

China PostPOST

(中国邮政; Zhōngguó Yóuzhèng h10am-4pm)

On the main road through town, back towards the highway and away from the bus drop-off.

Public Security BureauPOLICE

(PSB; 公安局; Gōng'ānjú )

Around 1km from the centre of town, towards the main highway. Does not handle visa extensions; for this, you'll need to go to Hézuò or Línxià.

8Getting There & Away

There’s one daily bus to Zöigě (Ruò’ěrgài; ¥25, 2½ hours) at 7am, which arrives with time to connect with the bus to Sōngpān. There are two to three daily buses to Hézuò (¥50, three hours), departing at 6.30am (summer only), 7.20am and noon. Take the only direct bus to Xiàhé (¥72, 3½ hours) at 2pm, or change in Hézuò for frequent buses to Xiàhé and Lánzhōu.

Guesthouses may be able to coordinate a seat to Chuānzhǔsì or Jiǔzhàigōu on the bus that passes by on the main highway at around 2.20pm, otherwise you'll have to change in Hézuò.

For the latest scheduling info see www.langmusi.net.

Héxī Corridor 河西走廊

Bound by the Qílián Shān range to the south and the Mǎzōng (Horse’s Mane) and Lóngshǒu (Dragon’s Head) mountains to the north, the narrow Héxī Corridor (河西走廊; Héxī Zǒuláng) is the crux around which the province is formed. This valley was once the sole western passage in and out of the Middle Kingdom.

8Getting There & Around

The Héxī Corridor is connected to the rest of Gansu and eastern China by high-speed rail and modern highways. Cities along the route have airports, though most travellers opt to fly in/out of either Lánzhōu or Dūnhuáng and travel by train within the province.

The Lánzhōu–Xīnjiāng High Speed Railway was completed in November 2013 and whisks passengers up the valley via Xīníng in Qīnghǎi. The slower Y667 train (hard/soft/deluxe sleeper ¥276/430/911, 13 hours) is a dedicated tourist train that departs Lánzhōu for Dūnhuáng at 5.50pm and offers freshly cooked meals on board, sparkling clean facilities and multi-lingual announcements. Deluxe sleepers have two beds and a private bathroom.

Wŭwēi 武威

%0935 / Pop 1.81 million

Wǔwēi (武威) stands at the strategic eastern end of the Héxī Corridor. It was from here, two millennia ago, that the emperors of China launched their expeditionary forces into the unknown west, eventually leading them to Jiāyùguān and beyond. Temples, tombs and traditional gates hint at Wǔwēi’s Silk Road past, while the rapidly modernising city has some pleasant squares and pedestrian streets.

1Sights

Wǔwēi has a few pleasant temples and pagodas to explore, but most travellers base themselves here to explore the Tiāntīshān Grottoes, located 57km southeast of town.

Wǔwēi is compact enough that with the exception of Hǎizàng Temple you can walk to all the sights in an afternoon. Most travellers base themselves in the southern part of town near the rebuilt South Gate (南门). The city’s main square, Wénhuà Guǎngchǎng (文化广场), is about 1km directly north of the gate on Bei Dajie. Mingqing Fanggu Wenhua Jie (or simply Mingqing Jie) extends east from the gate and is an attractive street lined with restaurants, coffee shops and a KTV or two.

Hǎizàng TempleBUDDHIST TEMPLE

(海藏寺; Hǎizàng Sì Liangzhou District, Jinsha Township; 凉州区金沙乡 h9am-5pm)F

A fascinating active monastery with a minute pavilion to the right of the entrance containing a well whose ‘magic waters’ (神水; shénshuǐ) are said to connect by subterranean streams to a Holy Lake (圣湖; Shènghú) in the Potala Palace in Lhasa. Drinking the water is said to cure myriad ailments. Bus 5 (¥2) towards Hǎizàng Gōngyuán (海藏公园) or a taxi (¥10) will take you the short trip outside town to Hǎizàng Park entrance (¥2); the temple is out back.

Kumarajiva PagodaBUDDHIST PAGODA

(罗什寺; Luóshí Sì 66 Bei Dajie; 北大街66号 h8am-6pm)F

This 12-storey pagoda dates from AD 488 and is surrounded by a tranquil complex of both unpainted and colourful wooden temples with old folk gossiping under trees. Dedicated to Kumarajiva, the great translator of Buddhist sutras (who lived here for 17 years and whose tongue was buried beneath the pagoda), the original 17th-century structures were toppled during a great earthquake in 1927 and rebuilt.

It's located 400m north of Wǔwēi's main square.

Léitái Tomb & ParkTOMB, BUDDHIST

(雷台公园; Léitái Gōngyuán Leitai Donglu; 雷台东路 ¥45; h9am-5pm)

The pride and joy of the city, the bronze Flying Horse of Wǔwēi (飞马; Fēimǎ) was discovered here in 1969 and is the unofficial symbol of Gānsù. It was found in a secret tomb beneath this temple, built on top of steep earthen ramparts. The Flying Horse is now displayed in the Gānsù Provincial Museum.

The site is 1.2km north of Wǔwēi; turn right at Leitai Donglu. Note that you’ll need your passport to enter.

4Sleeping & Eating

Wŭwēi is not a city that will wow with its spectacular accommodation options, but there are plenty of clean, comfortable hotels scattered around town.

Zǐyúngé HotelHOTEL$$

(紫云阁酒店; Zǐyúngé Jiǔdiàn %0935 225 3888; east of Changmen Guangchang; 南城门广场东侧 d/tr ¥137/172; aiW)

This international-style hotel has spacious, comfortable rooms with showers, though the decor is showing a bit of age. The best thing about the hotel is its convenient location just east of Wŭwēi's South Gate. Wi-fi only in lobby.

Yúnxiáng International HotelHOTEL

(云翔国际酒店; Yúnxiáng Guójì Jiǔdiàn Beiguan Donglu; 北关东路云翔升字 d/ste incl breakfast ¥240/530; ai)

Clean international hotel with comfy-if-generic features and furnishings. Rooms have spacious bathrooms and there is a restaurant serving the Chinese-style buffet breakfast included in the room price.

Liángzhōu MarketMARKET, HAWKER$

(凉州市场; Liángzhōu Shìchǎng Pedestrian St; 步行街 dishes ¥7-20)

This warren of covered pedestrian streets packs in dozens of snack stands, hawker stalls and small, hole-in-the-wall restaurants in a blaze of garish neon signs. Lots of easy foods on a budget, from simple fried noodles (炒面; chǎomiàn) to barbecue, dumplings and hot pot.

8Information

Bank of ChinaBANK

(中国银行; Zhōngguó Yínháng 21 Xidajie, nr West Gate of Buxingjie; 西大街21号步行街西口 )

West end of Pedestrian St (步行商业街; Buxing Shangye Jie); can change money.

8Getting There & Away

Express buses to cities in the Héxī Corridor run from the main bus station (快客站; kuài kè zhàn) on Nanguan Xilu, though trains are faster and cheaper still.

There are two train stations in Wŭwēi: the old station, located at the south end of Jianshe Lu (建设路) and the newer Wŭwēi south station (武威南站; Wǔwēi Nánzhàn). Both have similarly frequent departures to the main cities in Gānsù, though direct trains to Dūnhuáng only run from Wŭwēi Station.

AJiāyùguān Hard seat/sleeper ¥69/139, 4½ to six hours, every 20 to 30 minutes

ALánzhōu Hard/soft seat ¥47/72, 3½ hours, every 20 to 30 minutes

AZhāngyè Hard/soft seat ¥41/61, two to three hours, every 20 to 30 minutes

AZhōngwèi (Níngxià) Seat/hard sleeper ¥41/98, three to four hours, nine daily

To pre-purchase tickets, cross the square opposite the Confucius Temple (cnr of Xin Qingnianxiang & Wenmiaolu; 新青年巷文庙路) to the train booking office (火车票代售点).

From Wuwei Station only:

ADūnhuáng Hard/soft sleeper ¥219/339, 10 hours (three per day directly to Dūnhuáng at 9.02pm, 9.35pm and 1.15am; other trains drop you off at Liǔyuán)

8Getting Around

Taxi rides around town are around ¥4 to ¥7. To reach the main train station from Wénhuà Guǎngchǎng, take buses 1 and 2 (¥1) or a taxi (¥10).

It's quite typical for taxi drivers in Wŭwēi to stop and pick up other passengers for an additional fare. Be sure to agree your fare with the driver before you set off, or ask to use the meter.

Around Wŭwēi

Tiāntīshān GrottoesCAVE

(天梯山石窟; Tiāntīshān Shíkū Dēngshān Village; 灯山村 ¥30; h8.30am-6.30pm)

It's hard to appreciate how massive the 15m-high Shakyamuni Buddha statue at Tiāntīshān Grottoes is until you are at its truck-sized feet and peering up at its outstretched hand emerging from the cliff face. These 1600-year-old carvings stand majestically in the open air, not hidden in dark caves, so snap away.

There are 17 caves here containing ancient murals (tigers, black dragons), along with some scroll paintings. Only one is open to the public, however, as many suffered devastation after a large earthquake in 1927. In 1959 many of the relics from lower caves were moved to Gānsù Provincial Museum to make way for the construction of a reservoir. The Buddha is the real star, his enormous feet protected from the reservoir's flood by a giant, half-moon dam around which you can walk to see him from varying vantages. Two sets of stairs also lead to the dam floor, allowing worshippers to descend and light incense.

Transportation to Tiāntīshān is irregular. The best way to get here is to hire a private driver or taxi in Wǔwēi (¥200, half-day). Some through buses go from Wǔwēi bus station; you'll have to ask for the Tiāntīshān minibus (¥12, 3½ hours, every 30 minutes). You'll be dropped off along the main highway, from where it's a 20-minute walk to the grottoes; however, the return journey can be very problematic, with no regular buses or services from the grottoes themselves.

Zhāngyè 张掖

%0936 / Pop 1.19 million

Smack-dab in the middle of the Héxī Corridor, the chilled-out city of Zhāngyè (张掖) has a relaxed atmosphere that belies its historical status as an outpost connecting Central Asia to the Chinese empire via the Silk Road. Marco Polo is said to have spent a year here around 1274 – he provided a detailed description of Zhāngyè (by its historical name, Campichu) in The Travels of Marco Polo. Even the name Zhāngyè alludes to its Silk Road importance: 张掖 is a shortening of '张国臂掖，以通西域', which translates as 'Extending the arm of the nation to its Western Realm'.

Today, Zhāngyè is a useful base from which to explore the otherwordly landscapes of the Dānxiá Geopark and the ancient cliff temples at Mǎtí Sì. In town, one of Asia's largest reclining Buddhas is ensconced in a beautifully preserved wooden temple, which, according to legend, was the birthplace of Mongol warrior Kublai Khan.

1Sights

Zhāngyè is roughly divided into Xi (West), Dong (East), Nan (South) and Bei (North) Dajie, depending on which direction its two main streets radiate from the drum tower. Jianfu Jie intersects with Xi Dajie a few blocks from the drum tower and heading north takes you to a pleasant eating street, while Nan Dajie leads (more or less) to the Giant Buddha Temple and Wooden Pagoda.

oGiant Buddha TempleBUDDHIST SITE

(大佛寺; Dàfó Sì %0936 821 9671; www.zydfs.com; Dafo Xiang, off Minzhu Xijie; 大佛寺巷 ¥41; h8.30am-6pm)

Originally dating to 1098 (Western Xia dynasty), this lovely temple contains an astonishing 35m-long sleeping Buddha – China’s largest of this variety and among the biggest wooden reclining Buddhas in Asia – surrounded by mouldering clay arhats (Buddhists who have achieved enlightenment) and Qing dynasty murals.

This is one of the few wooden structures from this era still standing in China and there is a wealth of traditional symbols to examine. Even the unrestored exterior is fascinating and there's an impressive white clay stupa (土塔; tǔtǎ) dating from the Ming dynasty. The former Princesses Wencheng hall towards the back of the temple now contains an exhibition showcasing Buddhist artefacts, and there is also a display of golden sutras associated with the temple.

The Shanxi Guild Hall at the northeast corner of the temple is also worth a look. Dating to 1724, this Qing era complex was used as a meeting place and includes rare intact wooden stage and platform viewing areas.

From the drum tower, head south on Nan Dajie about 1km.

Xīlái Wooden PagodaPAGODA

(西来寺; Xīlái Sì cnr Minzhu Xijie & Xianfu Jie; 民主西街县府街的路口 ¥50; h8am-6pm)

Zhāngyè's main square is dominated by this nine-tiered brick and wooden pagoda. Though first built during the Northern Zhou dynasty (AD 557–588), the present 27.4m structure is a thorough reconstruction from 1926. Admission buys you a ticket to the top, which offers views over the city.

Though official closing hours are listed as 6pm, some travellers have reported the pagoda as being open during the evening.

4Sleeping & Eating

Mingqing Jie (明清街) is an alley of faux-Qing architecture lined with dozens of clean, friendly restaurants with picture menus. To find it, head 300m west of the drum tower along Xi Dajie. Local specialities include lǎoshǔfěn (老鼠粉; rice-flour noodles) and cuōyúmiàn (搓鱼面; twisted fish noodles), so named because they are hand-twisted into oblong pointed shapes resembling small fish.

oBean Sprout HostelHOSTEL$

(豆芽旅舍; Dòuyá Lǚshě %185 1634 0930; 113 Changshou Jie; 长寿街113号 dm ¥105; naiW)

This adorable hostel run by a Chinese couple features dorms and family rooms set around a Qing dynasty–styled indoor courtyard with tables, lanterns and greenery. There is not a whiff about the place, everything is bright and spotlessly clean, and the couple are extremely passionate about Zhāngyè and helping travellers. The central location is the icing on the cake.

They can book tours or arrange private cars to Mǎtí Sì and Dānxiá National Geopark, as well as onward train tickets. Unfortunately, no English is spoken, but the friendliness of the owners overcomes that; they'll go out of their way to make sure you're looked after.

Huáyì Snack SquareMARKET, HAWKER$

(华谊小吃广场; Huáyì Xiǎochī Guǎngchǎng Dong Dajie; 东大街 h10am-10pm)

This pedestrianised market has dozens of snack stalls and small restaurants, many selling local specialities and Chinese standards, hand-pulled noodles (拉面; lāmiàn) and dried fruits and vegetables. This is also a good place to try the local speciality cuōyúmiàn (搓鱼面; twisted fish noodles).

8Information

There’s an internet cafe on the southwest corner of the drum-tower intersection. Hotels, hostels, KFC and coffee shops have free wi-fi.

Bank of ChinaBANK

(中国银行; Zhōngguó Yínháng 388 Dong Dajie; 东大街388号 h8.30am-noon & 2.30-5pm Mon-Fri)

Has a 24-hour ATM

8Getting There & Away

Bus

Zhāngyè has three bus stations, in the south, east and west. The west bus station (汽车西站; qìchē xīzhàn) has the most frequent departures. Destinations include Xīníng, Golmud, Jiāyùguān, Lánzhōu, Dūnhuáng and Wǔwēi, though it's faster, cheaper and far easier to take a train.

Train

In 2015 Zhāngyè became an important stop along the newly opened high-speed rail line that connects Lánzhōu and Ürümqi in Xīnjiāng. High-speed trains now depart from Zhāngyè west railway station (张掖西站; Zhāngyē Xīzhàn) for Lánzhōu via Xīníng in Qīnghǎi province. Services include the following:

AJiāyùguān South Hard/soft seat ¥66/79, 1½ hours, every 30 minutes

ALánzhōu West Hard/soft seat ¥150/180, three hours, every 30 minutes

AÜrümqi Hard/soft seat ¥399/479, eight hours, every 45 minutes

AXīníng Hard/soft seat ¥92/110, two hours, every 45 minutes

Slower departures for Wŭwēi and destinations further east go from Zhāngyè Railway Station, locally known as lǎozhàn (老站; old station), including the following:

ADūnhuáng Hard/soft sleeper ¥145/223, 7½ hours, two daily (12.29am and 4.05am); day trains all go to Liǔyuán or Liǔyuán on the high-speed line

AWǔwēi Seat/hard sleeper ¥41/98, 2½ to 3 hours, every 20 to 30 minutes

There is a train booking office (火车票代售点; Huǒchēpiào Dàishòu Diǎn 12 Oushi Jie; 欧式街12号 h8am-6pm). To get there walk west of the drum tower and turn right (north) at Oushi Jie.

8Getting Around

A taxi from any of the bus stations to the hotels costs ¥4 to ¥5. Bus 4 runs past the west bus station from Dong or Xi Dajie.

The old train station is 7km northeast of the city centre, and a taxi will cost ¥10, or take bus 1 (¥1). The west railway station is 3.5km from the centre of town. Shared taxis depart from in front of the station for ¥10 per person.

Zhāngyè Dānxiá National Geopark 张掖丹霞国家地质公园

Zhāngyē Dānxiá National GeoparkNATIONAL PARK, DESERT

(张掖丹霞国家地质公园; Zhāngyē Dānxiá Guójiā Dìzhí Gōngyuán ¥60; h6am-8pm)

The swirling orange, yellow, white and brown lunar landscape of this national park is the result of sandstone and mineral deposits that have eroded into odd shapes over the course of millennia. These 'rainbow mountains' have been quietly drawing photographers for the last few years.

Infrastructure was installed inside the park after it was named a national geopark in 2011, making it – for better or worse – very accessible to tourists. Wooden stairs and platforms allow visitors to reach the tops of the hills without damaging the delicate landscape and offer stunning views over the coloured strata.

The park opens early for a reason: the best time to visit (and photograph) this magnificent landscape is at sunrise on a clear day. From Zhāngyè, a taxi to both Mǎtí Sì and Dānxiá will cost around ¥350, or a taxi here only about ¥150. Once here, a hop-on, hop-off bus shuttles visitors to various stops inside the park, and you are welcome to take your time at the various scenic platforms.

Mǎtí Xiāng 马蹄乡

%0936

Carved into the cliff sides in foothills of the grand Qílián Mountains (Qílián Shān), the venerable Buddhist grottoes of Mǎtí Sì make for a fine short getaway from the hectic small towns along the Héxī Corridor. The tiny tourist village of Mǎtí Xiāng (马蹄乡) serves as a gateway to the temples. There’s excellent hiking in the nearby hills, and a small range of very simple accommodation and food from May to September. Come in July to see the mountain valleys carpeted in blue wildflowers.

There are several good day hikes around Mǎtí Sì, including the five-hour loop through pine forest and talus fields to the Línsōng Waterfall (临松瀑布; Línsōng Pùbù) and back down past Sword Split Stone (剑劈石; Jiànpīshí). For unrivalled panoramas, take the steep ascent of the ridge starting across from the white chörten (Tibetan stupa) just above the village at Sānshísāntiān Shíkū (三十三天石窟).

Mǎtí SìCAVE, BUDDHIST SITE

(马蹄寺 ¥74; h8.30am-5.30pm)

Mǎtí Sì translates as 'Horse Hoof Monastery', a reference to when a heavenly horse left a hoof imprint in a grotto. Between the 5th and 14th centuries a series of caves were almost as miraculously built in sheer sandstone cliffs and filled with carvings, temples and meditation rooms. The caves are reached via twisting staircases, balconies, narrow passages and platforms that will leave your head spinning.

The grottoes are not in one area but spread over several sections. The most accessible are the Thousand Buddhas Caves (千佛洞石窟; Qiān Fó Dòng Shíkū) just past the entrance gate to the scenic area. Within this complex is the Pǔguāng Temple, where you’ll find the relic of the horse hoof imprint. The Mǎtí Sì North Caves (马蹄寺北石窟; Mǎtí Sì Běi Shíkū) are above the village (2km up the road from the Thousand Buddhas Caves) and feature the more dizzying platforms as well as a large grotto with a tall golden Buddha.

Mǎtí Sì is 65km north of Zhāngyè, and one or both of the main caves may be closed outside of April to September. The best way to get here is to hire a taxi in Zhāngyè (¥160 round trip, including the temple drive).

If you’re adequately prepared for camping, some overnight trips are possible. The tiny village also has several basic guesthouses (tw ¥60).

Buses leave every 30 minutes from Zhāngyè’s south bus station for the crossroads village of Mǎtí Hé (马蹄河; ¥10, 1½ hours, 6.40am to 5.40pm), from where you can catch a minibus or taxi (¥30) for the final 7km or so.

Direct buses to Mǎtí Sì depart from Zhāngyè’s south bus station hourly throughout the morning from May to September. The last bus back to Mǎtí Hé or Zhāngyè leaves before 5pm. Check with locals on the exact time.

A return taxi from Zhāngyè will cost around ¥160, and for this price the driver will also shuttle you around to the various temple sites at Mǎtí Sì.

Jiāyùguān 嘉峪关

%0937 / Pop 231,000

You approach Jiāyùguān (嘉峪关) through the forbidding lunar landscape of north Gānsù. It’s a fitting setting, as Jiāyùguān marks the symbolic end of the Great Wall, the western gateway of China proper and, for imperial Chinese, the beginning of the back of beyond. One of the defining points of the Silk Road, a Ming dynasty fort was erected here in 1372 and Jiāyùguān came to be colloquially known as the ‘mouth’ of China, while the narrow Héxī Corridor, leading back towards the nèidì (inner lands), was dubbed the ‘throat’.

You’ll need plenty of imagination to conjure up visions of the Silk Road, as modern Jiāyùguān is a city of straight roads, identikit blocks and manufacturing. But the Jiāyùguān Fort is an essential part of Silk Road lore and most certainly worth a visit.

Jiāyùguān

4Sleeping

1Jiāyùguān HotelA1

2Shèngjǐng Holiday HotelA1

5Eating

3Jìngtiě MarketB1

4Yuànzhōngyuàn RestaurantA2

1Sights

With the exception of the Wèijìn Tombs, all the sites are covered by purchasing a through ticket (通票; tōngpiào) to the Jiāyùguān Fort; admission fees quoted for individual sites are for entry without admission to the fort. Through tickets can be purchased at any of the three sites.

oJiāyùguān FortFORT

(嘉峪关城楼; Jiāyùguān Chénglóu Guancheng Nanlu; 关城南路 ¥120; h8.30am-8pm, to 6pm in winter)

One of the classic images of western China, this fort once guarded the narrow pass between the snowcapped Qílián Shān peaks and the Hēi Shān (Black Mountains) of the Mǎzōng Shān range.

Built in 1372, it was named the ‘Impregnable Defile Under Heaven’. Although the Han Chinese often controlled territory far beyond here, this was the last major stronghold of imperial China – the end of their ‘civilised world’, beyond which lay only desert demons and the barbarian armies of Central Asia.

Towards the eastern end of the fort is the Gate of Enlightenment (光化楼; Guānghuá Lóu) and on the west side is the Gate of Conciliation (柔远楼; Róuyuǎn Lóu), from where exiled poets, ministers, criminals and soldiers would have ridden off into oblivion. Each gate dates from 1506 and has 17m-high towers with upturned flying eaves and double gates that would have been used to trap invading armies. On the inside are horse lanes leading up to the top of the inner ramparts.

The fort received major refurbishments in 2015, brightening up wood with coats of paint and reinforcing foundations and cracked walls.

Near the fort entrance gate is the excellent Jiāyùguān Museum of the Great Wall, which has some interesting exhibits about the Wall and its history in this part of China.

Overhanging Great WallHISTORIC SITE

(悬壁长城; Xuánbì Chángchéng adult ¥21, incl in through ticket to Jiāyùguān Fort; h8.30am-8pm, to 6pm winter)

Running north from Jiāyùguān Fort, this section of the Great Wall is believed to have been first constructed in 1539, though it was reconstructed in 1987. It’s quite an energetic hike up the equivalent of 55 flights of stairs to excellent views of the desert and the glittering snowcapped peaks in the distance, though views are a little mired by Jiāyùguān's increasingly polluted air. The Wall is about 9km north of the fort.

Jiāyùguān Museum of the Great WallMUSEUM

(嘉峪关长成博物馆; Jiāyùguān Chángchéng Bówùguǎn Jiāyùguān Fort; incl in through ticket to Jiāyùguān Fort; h8.30am-6pm)F

Located inside Jiāyùguān Fort, this excellent museum contains photos, artefacts, maps, Silk Road exhibits and models to show just how the fort and the Great Wall of China influenced the history of the Héxī Corridor and China as a whole.

Wèijìn TombsTOMB

(新城魏晋壁画墓; Xīnchéng Wèijìn Bìhuàmù ¥35; h8.30am-8pm)

These tombs date from approximately AD 220–420 (the Wei and Western Jin periods) and contain extraordinarily fresh brick wall paintings (some ineptly retouched) depicting scenes of everyday life, from making tea to picking mulberries for silk production. There are thousands of tombs in the desert 20km east of Jiāyùguān, but only one is currently open to visitors, that of a husband and wife.

There is a small museum that's also worth a look; it's the only area where photos are permitted. A taxi here from central Jiāyùguān will cost around ¥70. If you pay a little more (¥100), the driver will also take you to nearby Yěmáwān Cūn (野麻湾村), the crumbling remains of a former walled village about 10km from the tombs.

First Beacon Platform of the Great WallHISTORIC SITE

(长城第一墩; Chángchéng Dìyī Dūn ¥22, incl in through ticket to Jiāyùguān Fort; h8.30am-8pm, to 6pm winter)

Atop a 56m-high cliff overlooking the Tǎolài River south of Jiāyùguān, a crumbling pile of packed earth is all that remains of this beacon platform, believed to be the first signalling tower along the western front of the Great Wall. Views over the river and bare gorge below are impressive and you can walk alongside attached vestiges of adobe Ming-era Great Wall.

A sightseeing trolley (¥12) shuttles visitors 3km from the ticket office to the subterranean viewing platform, labelled the ‘Underground Valley’. Inside, an excellent exhibition on the beacon platform, the fort and the history of the Wall in this area provides some context. Views of the beacon platform can be had from a see-through cantilever bridge at the back of the exhibit hall.

4Sleeping

Jiāyùguān's hotel landscape is rather bland, with a number of just-fine business- or international-style hotels lining its main streets. There is a very clean, friendly outlet of the popular Jǐnjiāng Inn (锦江之星; Jǐnjiāng Zhīxīng) chain on Lanxin Lu.

Shèngjǐng Holiday HotelHOTEL$$

(盛景假日酒店; Shèngjǐng Jiàrì Jiǔdiàn MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %0937 637 8666; 78 Xinhua Beilu; 新華北路78號 d from ¥207; aiW)

Excellent midrange option built in 2015. Enjoys a handy location on Xinhua Beilu in the centre of town and has bright, clean rooms with modern facilities. Good discounts if you book online.

Jiāyùguān HotelHOTEL$$$

(嘉峪关宾馆; Jiāyùguān Bīnguǎn MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %0937 620 1588; 1 Xinhua Beilu; 新华北路1号 d/tw from ¥669/768; aiW)

Rooms here are modern with heavy accents on the brown woods and faux marble. Most include a Chinese breakfast and computers with broadband. Other services include a restaurant serving Western-style food, a spa, travel agent and attentive staff, some who speak English. Conveniently located on the pleasant tree-lined shopping boulevard of Xinhua Zhonglu. Discounts of 30% to 60% are common.

5Eating

Much of Jiāyùguān's dining scene centres on its two main small-foods markets. For breakfast ask or look around for small shops selling bāozi (包子; steamed meat- or veg-filled buns) and dòujiāng (豆浆; soya milk). At lunch, small stands line the entryways to Jiāyùguān Fort and the Overhanging Great Wall selling noodles and ròujiāmó (肉夾饃; pulled-pork sandwich).

Jìngtiě MarketMARKET$

(镜铁小吃城; Jìngtiě Xiǎochīchéng MAP GOOGLE MAP ; Xinhua Zhonglu; 新华中路 h10am-10pm)

At this busy market load up on lamb kebabs, ròujiāmó, beef noodles, roast duck and more. There are a handful of small restaurants on the north side of the market that offer sit-down meals.

Yuànzhōngyuàn RestaurantSICHUAN$$

(苑中苑酒店; Yuànzhōngyuàn Jiǔdiàn MAP GOOGLE MAP ; Jingtie Xilu; 镜铁西路 dishes ¥15-50; h9am-9pm)

Directly across from the bus station on the far side of a small park is this pleasant Sìchuān restaurant. Try its gōngbǎo jīdīng (宫保鸡丁; spicy chicken and peanuts), tiěbǎn dòufu (铁板豆腐; fried tofu) or a yúxiāng ròusī (鱼香肉丝; stir-fried pork and vegetable strips).

8Information

Bank of ChinaBANK

(中国银行; Zhōngguó Yínháng GOOGLE MAP ; 42 Xinhua Zhonglu; 新华中路42号 h9.30am-5.30pm Mon-Fri, 10am-4pm Sat & Sun)

Has an ATM and can change money. It's south of Lanxin Xilu intersection.

China PostPOST

(中国邮政; Zhōngguó Yóuzhèng GOOGLE MAP ; Xinhua Zhonglu; 新华中路 h8am-6pm)

Doubles as a train ticket booking office.

ICBCBANK

(工商银行; Gōngshāng Yínháng GOOGLE MAP ; 1493 Xinhua Zhonglu; 新华中路1493号 )

Has a 24-hour ATM.

People’s No 1 HospitalHOSPITAL

(第一人民医院; Dìyī Rénmín Yīyuàn GOOGLE MAP ; 26 Xinhua Zhonglu)

This hospital can only be used by Chinese nationals.

8Getting There & Away

Jiāyùguān has an airport with flights to Běijīng, Shànghǎi and Lánzhōu, but most people arrive by bus or train.

Jiāyùguān’s bus station (嘉峪关汽车站; Jiāyùguān Qìchēzhàn GOOGLE MAP ; 312 Lanxin Xilu; 兰新西路312号 ) is by a busy four-way junction on Lanxin Xilu, next to the main budget hotels. It is cheaper and quicker to take a train, but bus destinations include Dūnhuáng, Lánzhōu, Wǔwēi and Zhāngyè.

Jiāyùguān has two train stations. The main train station (嘉峪关站; Jiāyùguān Zhàn) is southwest of the town centre. Bus 1 runs here from Xinhua Zhonglu (¥1). A taxi costs ¥10.

AJiāyùguān south station (嘉峪关南站; Jiāyùguān Nánzhàn) serves the high-speed rail line that connects Lánzhōu to Xīnjiāng. It is located 8km southeast of the town centre. A taxi costs ¥30.

Direct trains to Dūnhuáng are labelled as such. Beware of the more frequently scheduled trains to Liǔyuán – a lengthy 180km away from Dūnhuáng. Train tickets can be booked in town at the post office on Xinhua Zhonglu.

ADūnhuáng Seat/hard sleeper ¥53/112, five hours

ALánzhōu Seat/hard sleeper ¥98/201, six to eight hours; high-speed 2nd-class seat ¥215, five hours

AÜrümqi Hard/soft sleeper ¥287/449, ten to 14 hours; high-speed 2nd-class seat ¥336, 6½ hours

AWǔwēi Seat/hard sleeper ¥69/139, four to six hours

AZhāngyè Seat/hard sleeper ¥38/95, two to three hours; high-speed 2nd-class seat ¥66, 1½ hours

8Getting Around

A taxi to the airport (25 minutes) costs ¥50. Bus 1 (¥2) runs from the train station to the bus station.

A taxi to all the sights in the area, which are all outside town, is likely to cost ¥240, or ¥60 per sight. A taxi just to the sites covered by the Jiāyùguān Fort ticket will cost ¥180. Touts ply the train and bus stations offering rides; bargain hard. Alternatively, most hotels can arrange a taxi to pick you up, which takes the hassle out of having to bargain for the price.

THE WINDY ROAD TO A CLEANER CHINA

The road from Jiāyùguān to Dūnhuáng is impressive as much for the stark desert landscape as the endless spinning turbines. Once the cradle of China’s oil industry, this windswept northern region has become the site of nearly two dozen energy farms and 5000 (and growing) individual turbines. At the industry centre in Jiǔquán (southeast of Jiāyùguān) dozens of companies are cranking out several thousand more each year.

The pace of change has been breathtaking. From 2006 to 2010, the wind industry experienced triple-digit growth, and construction began on 10GW wind farms (1GW is the capacity of a large coal or nuclear power plant) in Gānsù, Xīnjiāng, Inner Mongolia, Jílín and Héběi. China also became the world's largest maker of turbines in 2010.

Rapid progress has brought hiccups. Installed capacity has far outpaced the rate at which it can be absorbed by the national electric grid. And while China became the world's largest wind-farm market by 2013, it also overtook the US as the largest emitter of greenhouse gases.

Yet the blades won't stop churning. The green light was given in 2014 to construct wind farms in Jiāngsū with a whopping 300GW total capacity. Long-term projections have wind potentially accounting for up to one-third of all capacity by 2050. With an equally strong push into solar, hydro and nuclear, China’s electrical production could one day become among the cleanest in the world.

Dūnhuáng 敦煌

%0937 / Pop 186,000

The fertile Dūnhuáng (敦煌) oasis has for millennia been a refuge for weary Silk Road travellers. Most visitors stayed long enough only to swap a camel; but some stayed, building the forts, towers and cave temples that are scattered over the surrounding area. These sites, along with some dwarfing sand dunes and desertscapes, make Dūnhuáng a magnificent place to visit.

Despite its remoteness, Dūnhuáng's per capita income is among the highest in China, thanks to a push into wind and solar energy production. The town is thoroughly modern, but has maintained its distinctive desert-sanctuary ambience – with clean, tree-lined streets, slow-moving traffic, bustling markets, budget hotels, cafes and souvenir shops.

Though relatively small, it's a great walking town with wide footpaths and narrow alleys opening up into squares, markets and the lives of ordinary citizens. The riverside is worth a visit if only to see if you are brave enough to cross to the platforms in the middle of the stream.

Dūnhuáng

4Sleeping

1Mògāo HotelB3

2Shāzhōuyì International Youth HostelA1

5Eating

3Charley Johng's CafeB4

4Shāzhōu Night MarketD2

6Drinking & Nightlife

3Entertainment

1Sights

Dūnhuáng MuseumMUSEUM

(敦煌博物馆; Dūnhuáng Bówùguǎn GOOGLE MAP ; %0937 882 2981; Mingshan Lu; h8am-6pm)F

Outside of town on the road to Singing Sands Dune is this sparkling museum that takes you on an artefact-rich journey through the Dūnhuáng area (from prehistoric to Qing dynasty times) via hallways designed to make you feel as if you were in a cave. You can easily walk here in 15 minutes from the centre of town. Bring your passport for admission.

TTours

Ask at any hostel or Charley Johng's Cafe for tourist info; they can also help with tours, from camel treks to overnight camping excursions and day trips. Bus tours (¥100) that include visits to Yǎdān National Park and Jade Gate Pass and Sun Pass depart daily from Dūnhuáng and can also be arranged at Charley Johng's. Be aware you'll have to pay for admission to each site separately during the tour.

4Sleeping

Competition among Dūnhuáng’s hotels is fierce, and you should get significant discounts (50% or more) outside of summer.

There are a dozen or so smaller business-type hotels along Mingshan Lu and Yangguan Zhonglu. They tend to be around ¥200 in the off season and ¥300 to ¥400 in the height of summer.

Shāzhōuyì International Youth HostelHOSTEL$

(敦煌沙州驿国际青年旅舍; Dūnhuáng Shāzhōuyì Guójì Qīngnián Lǚshě MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %0937 880 8800; 8 Qilian Lu; 祁连路8号, 北辰市场对面 dm/tw/d ¥50/60/158; pnaW)

This hostel is plant- and light-filled, inviting you to lounge and plan one of the offered tours. Dorm beds are comfy with modern shared bathrooms. Doubles are bright and spacious. The street is traffic heavy but has cheap eats, with the Shāzhōu Night Market a 10-minute walk away through a leafy park. English spoken.

Free shuttle bus from train station.

Mògāo HotelHOTEL$$

(莫高宾馆; Mògāo Bīnguǎn MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %0937 885 1777; 248 Mingshan Beilu; 鸣山北路12号 s/d from ¥225/250; aiW)

With its excellent location near restaurants and shops, this is one of the better options for the single traveller who wants a private room. Rooms are decidedly Chinese style but comfy. In the off season the singles go for around ¥150.

Silk Road Dūnhuáng HotelHOTEL$$$

(敦煌山庄; Dūnhuáng Shānzhuāng %0937 888 2088; www.dunhuangresort.com; Dunyue Lu; 敦月路 tw ¥560-1080, d ¥660-1200; aiW)

This four-star resort is tastefully designed with Central Asian rugs, a cool stone floor and Chinese antiques. The hotel’s rooftop restaurant has without doubt the best outdoor perch in Dūnhuáng with an amazing view of Singing Sands Dune. It's located south of town on the road to the dunes; a taxi costs ¥10, or take minibus 3 (¥2). Discounts of 20% to 40%.

5Eating

Dūnhuáng's local speciality is donkey-meat noodles (驴肉黄面; lǘròu huángmiàn), though these days this is more of a novelty dish than everyday food. You'll still find restaurants all over town offering the dish, which consists of roasted, sliced donkey meat served cold over warm egg noodles.

There are restaurants large and small all over Dūnhuáng, many with English or picture menus. For niúròu miàn (牛肉面; beef noodles) head to any of a number of restaurants along Xiyu Lu. The night market is the most popular spot for eats in the city.

Charley Johng’s CafeBREAKFAST, CHINESE$

(风味餐馆; Fēngwèi Cānguǎn MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %0937 388 2411; Mingshan Lu; 名山路 dishes ¥6-36; h8am-10pm; W)

Tasty Western-style breakfasts, including scrambled eggs, muesli with yoghurt, and pancakes, are available all day either à la carte or as a set. There are also sandwiches, and a host of Chinese dishes such as stir-fries and dumplings. It also arranges daily tours to surrounding sights, including Yǎdān National Park, and is a good source of traveller information. English spoken.

oZhāixīng GéCHINESE, INTERNATIONAL$$

(摘星阁; Silk Road Dūnhuáng Hotel Dunyue Lu, 敦月路 dishes ¥18-38; h7am-1pm & 4.30pm-midnight)

Part of the Silk Road Dūnhuáng Hotel, this rooftop restaurant is ideal for a meal (the Western buffet breakfast is excellent) or a sundowner gazing out over the golden sand dunes. Dishes do not cost much more than places in town. Try the Uighur bread or the surprisingly good thick-crust pizza.

Shāzhōu Night MarketMARKET$$

(沙洲夜市; Shāzhōu Yèshì MAP GOOGLE MAP ; btwn Yangguan Donglu & Xiyu Lu; hmorning-late)

Extending from Yangguan Lu south to Xiyu, this market is both a place to eat and to socialise, night and day. Off Yanguang Donglu are dozens of well organised stalls with English signs: expect Sìchuān, Korean noodles, dumplings, claypot, barbecue including ròujiāmó and Lánzhōu noodles. Also look out for cooling cups of xìngpíshuǐ (杏皮水; apricot juice; ¥5).

There is also an open-air seating area nearby with singing, music bands and roast lamb by the platter or skewer. Along with the seated areas along Fanggu Shangye Yitao Jie, this is the most expensive place to eat barbecued meat. For a better deal try the alleys radiating east.

6Drinking & Nightlife

The streets around Shāzhōu Night Market, particularly the ones near Dūnhuáng Mosque, have cafes that also serve as bars in the evening. In summer the Silk Road Dūnhuáng Hotel hosts a beer garden at the entrance to the grounds, while its stylish rooftop Zhāixīng Gé offers peerless views over the desert to go with a beer or a glass of local ice wine.

Memory Box CafeCAFE, BAR

(时光盒子咖啡馆; Shíguāng Hézi Kāfēi Guǎn MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %0937 881 9911; room 106a, 7th Bldg, Fengqing City; juice ¥25, beer ¥15)

This comfy cafe serves a range of drinks and Chinese and Western snacks, including Illy coffee and some imported beers. It also has a few nice seats out front in warmer weather.

Silk Road Beer TownBEER GARDEN

(丝路酒坊; Sīlù Jiǔfāng Silk Road Dūnhuáng Hotel, Dunyue Lu; 敦煌山庄敦月路 h12.30-4pm & 6pm-1am)

An airy covered beer garden in front of the Silk Road Dūnhuáng Hotel serving up cheap, cold bottles of Tsingtao (¥15) and heaping portions of fried noodles and other Chinese dishes.

Brown Sugar CafeCAFE

(黑糖咖啡; Hēitáng Kāfēi MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %0937 881 7111; 28 Tianma Jie; 天马街28号 tea ¥25-38, bottle of wine ¥78-198; h1pm-midnight; W)

This friendly cafe mixes modern with crafty decor and cafe classics with a Dūnhuáng twist. Try a cup of fresh-leaf Chinese tea to balance out a sweet black-rice muffin. Things turn smoky at night when fashionable locals come to sip beer and Mògāo wine.

3Entertainment

There are often night-time opera and other music performances in the square near the mosque.

Dūnhuáng Theatre (敦煌大剧院; Dūnhuáng Dàjùyuàn MAP GOOGLE MAP ; Yangguan Zhonglu; 阳关中路 ) hosts Dūnhuáng Goddess (敦煌神女, Dūnhuáng Shénnǚ MAP GOOGLE MAP ; Dūnhuáng Theater, Yangguan Zhonglu, 敦煌大剧院阳关中路 ¥220; h8.30pm), an 80-minute acrobatic dramatisation of stories on the walls of the Mògāo Grottoes. English subtitles are provided.

8Information

Wi-fi is widely available in cafes and hotel rooms, and there are internet cafes on the main streets if you get stuck.

Bank of ChinaBANK

(中国银行; Zhōngguó Yínháng GOOGLE MAP ; Yangguan Zhonglu; 阳关中路 h8am-noon & 2-6pm Mon-Fri)

Has a 24-hour ATM.

China PostPOST

(中国邮政; Zhōngguó Yóuzhèng GOOGLE MAP ; Yangguan Donglu; 阳关中路 h8.30am-6pm daily)

Sells stamps and delivers packages internationally.

Fēitiān Travel ServiceTRAVEL AGENCY

(飞天旅行社; Fēitiān Lǚxíngshè, Fēitiān Bīnguǎn GOOGLE MAP ; %0937 885 2318, 138 3070 6288; 551 Mingshan Lu; 鸣山路551号 )

Can arrange tours to Mògāo Grottoes, local day trips and car rental.

Mògāo Grottoes Reservation and Ticket CenterBOOKING SERVICE

(莫高窟参观预约售票中心; Mògāo Kū Cānguān Yùyuē Shòupiào Zhōngxīn GOOGLE MAP ; Yangguan Dadao; 阳关大道迎宾花园北区15号楼102号 )

Public Security BureauPOLICE

(PSB; 公安局; Gōng’ānjú GOOGLE MAP ; %0937 886 2071; Yangguan Zhonglu; 阳关中路 h8am-noon & 3-6.30pm Mon-Fri)

Two days needed for visa extension.

8Getting There & Away

Air

Apart from November to March, when there are only flights to/from Lánzhōu and Xī’ān, there are regular flights to/from Běijīng, Lánzhōu, Shànghǎi, Ürümqi and Xī’ān.

Seats can be booked at the air ticket office in the lobby of the Yóuzhèng Bīnguǎn hotel (邮政宾馆), on Yangguan Donglu west of China Post.

Bus

From Dūnhuáng’s bus station (长途汽车站; Zhángtú Qìchēzhàn GOOGLE MAP ; %0937 885 3746; Xiyu Lu; h7am-8pm daily), you can catch buses to Jiāyùguān and Lánzhōu (though trains are cheaper and faster), as well as the following:

AGolmud ¥99, nine hours, two daily (9am and 7.30pm)

ALiǔyuán (柳园) ¥20, three hours, eight per day (7.30am to 6.30pm)

AÜrümqi ¥198, 14 hours, one daily (7pm), sleeper. May stop in Turpan.

Train

Dūnhuáng’s station is 10km east of town, but for some destinations, such as Běijīng West and Ürümqi, you’ll have to leave from Liǔyuán Station, a crazy 180km away.

AJiāyùguān Seat/hard sleeper ¥53/112, 4½ hours, seven daily

ALánzhōu Hard/soft sleeper ¥141/276, 14 hours, three daily (9.12am, 6.55pm and 8.07pm); more trains leave from Liǔyuán Station

ATurpan (from Liǔyuán Station) Hard/soft sleeper ¥93/184, six to eight hours; high-speed trains go to Turpan North

AÜrümqi (from Liǔyuán Station) Hard/soft sleeper/high-speed 2nd-class seat ¥112/219/247, five to nine hours; high-speed trains leave from Liǔyuán South

Tickets can be booked at the train booking office (火车票发售点; Huǒchē Piào Fāshòu Diǎn GOOGLE MAP ; Tianma Jie; 天马街 h8am-noon & 1-4pm, to 8pm summer) south of the mosque.

If you are heading to Liǔyuán Station (for trains to Ürümqi and high-speed rail), catch a bus or shared taxi (per person ¥45) from the front of the bus station. Give yourself at least three hours to get to Liǔyuán Station (including waiting for the taxi to fill up with other passengers).

8Getting Around

The airport is 13km east of town; a taxi to/from the airport costs ¥40 and takes 20 minutes.

The train station is 14km from the centre of town, on the same road as the airport. Bus 1 runs to the train station from the bus stop ( GOOGLE MAP ; Mingshan Lu) from 7.30am to 9pm.

You can rent bikes from travellers’ cafes for ¥5 per hour.

Taxis around town start at ¥5.

SILK ROAD RAIDERS

In 1900, the self-appointed guardian of the Mògāo Grottoes, Wang Yuanlu, discovered a hidden library filled with tens of thousands of immaculately preserved manuscripts and paintings, dating as far back as AD 406.

It’s hard to describe the exact magnitude of the discovery, but stuffed into the tiny cave were texts in rare Central Asian languages, military reports, music scores, medical prescriptions, Confucian and Taoist classics, and Buddhist sutras copied by some of the greatest names in Chinese calligraphy – not to mention the oldest printed book in existence, the Diamond Sutra (AD 868). In short, it was an incalculable amount of original source material regarding Chinese, Central Asian and Buddhist history.

Word of the discovery quickly spread and Wang Yuanlu, suddenly the most popular bloke in town, was courted by rival archaeologists Aurel Stein and Paul Pelliot, among others. Following much pressure to sell the cache, Wang Yuanlu finally relented and parted with an enormous hoard of treasure. On his watch close to 20,000 of the cave’s priceless manuscripts were whisked off to Europe for the paltry sum of £220.

Today, Chinese intellectuals bitter at the sacking of the caves deride Stein, Pelliot and others for making off with what they consider to be national treasures. Defenders of the explorers point out that had the items been left alone, there is a chance they could have been lost during the ensuing civil war or the Cultural Revolution.

Around Dūnhuáng

Most people visit the Mògāo Grottoes in the morning, followed by the Singing Sands Dune in the late afternoon to catch the sunset. Note that it can be 40°C in the desert during the summer so go prepared with water, a sunhat and snacks.

oMògāo GrottoesCAVE, BUDDHIST

(莫高窟; Mògāo Kū www.mgk.org.cn/index.htm; low/high season ¥120/220; h8am-6pm May-Oct, 9am-5.30pm Nov-Apr)

The Mògāo Grottoes are considered one of the most important collections of Buddhist art in the world. At its peak during the Tang dynasty (618–907), the site housed 18 monasteries, more than 1400 monks and nuns, and countless artists, translators and calligraphers.

Tours by excellent English-speaking guides at 9am, noon and 2.30pm are included in the admission price, and you should be able to arrange tours in other languages as well. Many of the guides are students or researchers at the Dūnhuáng Academy, which administers the caves.

In 2015 the Mògāo Grottoes site saw a huge upgrade, with a state-of-the-art visitor centre built just a few kilometres outside of central Dūnhuáng. Admission includes two 30-minute films, one on the history of the area and the Silk Road, and one that allows close-up computer-generated views of cave interiors not normally open to visitors in an IMAX-style theatre. From here, visitors are shuttled to the caves 15km down the road in dedicated coaches.

Of the 492 caves, 20 ‘open’ caves are rotated fairly regularly. Entrance is strictly controlled – it’s impossible to visit them independently. In addition to the two films, the general admission ticket includes a roughly two-hour tour of 10 caves, including the famous Hidden Library Cave (cave 17), the two big Buddhas, 34.5m and 26m tall, and a related exhibit containing rare fragments of manuscripts in classical Uighur and Manichean.

Photography is prohibited inside the caves. If it’s raining or snowing or there's a sand storm, the site will be closed.

Tickets must be purchased in advance either online at the caves' official website (Chinese ID card needed at the time of writing) or from the Mògāo Grottoes Reservation and Ticket Center, a separate booking office where staff speak English. Note that tickets are not sold at the main visitor centre.

History

Wealthy traders and important officials were the primary donors responsible for creating new caves, as caravans made the long detour past Mògāo to pray or give thanks for a safe journey through the treacherous wastelands to the west. The traditional date ascribed to the founding of the first cave is AD 366.

The caves fell into disuse for about 500 years after the collapse of the Yuan dynasty and were largely forgotten until the early 20th century, when they were ‘rediscovered’ by a string of foreign explorers.

Northern Wei, Western Wei & Northern Zhou Caves

These, the earliest of the Mògāo Caves, are distinctly Indian in style and iconography. All contain a central pillar, representing a stupa (symbolically containing the ashes of the Buddha), which the devout would circle in prayer. Paint was derived from malachite (green), cinnabar (red) and lapis lazuli (blue), expensive minerals imported from Central Asia.

The art of this period is characterised by its attempt to depict the spirituality of those who had transcended the material world through their asceticism. The Wei statues are slim, ethereal figures with finely chiselled features and comparatively large heads. The northern Zhou figures have ghostly white eyes.

Sui Caves

The Sui dynasty (AD 581–618) was short-lived and very much a transition between the Wei and Tang periods. This can be seen in the Sui caves at Mògāo: the graceful Indian curves in the Buddha and Bodhisattva figures start to give way to the more rigid style of Chinese sculpture.

The Sui dynasty began when a general of Chinese or mixed Chinese–Tuoba origin usurped the throne of the northern Zhou dynasty and reunited northern and southern China for the first time in 360 years.

Tang Caves

The Tang dynasty (AD 618–907) was Mògāo’s high point. Painting and sculpture techniques became much more refined, and some important aesthetic developments, notably the sex change (from male to female) of Guanyin and the flying apsaras (Buddhist celestial beings), took place. The beautiful murals depicting the Buddhist Western Paradise offer rare insights into the court life, music, dress and architecture of Tang China.

Some 230 caves were carved during the religiously diverse Tang dynasty, including two impressive grottoes containing enormous, seated Buddha figures. Originally open to the elements, the statue of Maitreya in cave 96 (believed to represent Empress Wu Zetian, who used Buddhism to consolidate her power) is a towering 34.5m tall, making it the world’s third-largest Buddha. The Buddhas were carved from the top down using scaffolding, the anchor holes of which are still visible.

Post-Tang Caves

Following the Tang dynasty, the economy around Dūnhuáng went into decline, and the luxury and vigour typical of Tang painting began to be replaced by simpler drawing techniques and flatter figures. The mysterious Western Xia kingdom, which controlled most of Gānsù from 983 to 1227, made a number of additions to the caves at Mògāo and began to introduce Tibetan influences.

Getting There & Away

The Mògāo Grottoes are 25km (30 minutes) southeast of Dūnhuáng, but tours start and end at the visitor centre, about 5km from Mingshan Lu near the train station. A green minibus (one way ¥3) leaves for the visitor centre every 30 minutes from 8am to 5pm from outside the Silk Road Hotel (丝路宾馆; Sīlù Bīnguǎn). A taxi costs ¥15 one-way, and taxis generally wait outside the visitor centre, so it's easy to find one on the way back.

Singing Sands DuneOASIS

(鸣沙山; Míngshā Shān ¥120; h6am-7.30pm)

Six kilometres south of Dūnhuáng at Singing Sands Dune, the desert meets the oasis in most spectacular fashion. From the sheer scale of the dunes, it’s easy to see how Dūnhuáng gained its moniker ‘Shāzhōu’ (Town of Sand). The view across the undulating desert and green poplar trees below is awesome.

You can bike to the dunes in 20 minutes from the centre of Dūnhuáng. Bus 3 (¥2) shuttles between Shazhou Lu and Mingshan Lu and the dunes from 7.30am to 9pm. A taxi costs ¥20 one way.

The climb to the top of the dunes – the highest peak swells to 1715m – is sweaty work, but worth it. Rent a pair of bright-orange shoe protectors (防沙靴; fángshāxuē; ¥15) or just shake your shoes out later.

At the base of the colossal dunes is a famous pond, Crescent Moon Lake (月牙泉; Yuèyáquán). The dunes are a no-holds-barred tourist playpen, with dune buggies, ‘dune surfing’ (sand sledding), paragliding and even microlighting. But it’s not hard to hike away to enjoy the sandy spectacle in peace.

Tickets are good for three days' entry. To avail of this, you must ask the security staff at the gate as you exit – they will take your fingerprint so only you can use the ticket again.

Hostels in Dūnhuáng offer overnight camel treks to the dunes from ¥400 per person. There are also five- to eight-day expeditions out to the Jade Gate Pass, Liǔyuán and even as far as Lop Nor in the deserts of Xīnjiāng.

Sun PassHISTORIC SITE

(阳关; Yángguān ¥50; h8am-8pm)

This Han dynasty military post was one of the two most important gates marking the end of the Chinese empire along the ancient Silk Road. Today, a dusty museum chronicles some of the site's artefacts, but the real draw is the crumbling beacon tower atop Dundun Hill, where a modern viewing platform offers generous vistas of the surrounding Taklamakan Desert.

Yúlín GrottoesBUDDHIST SITE

(榆林窟; Yúlín Kū ¥40; h8.30am-6pm)

About 180km south of Dūnhuáng, the 40-plus caves of the Yúlín Grottoes face each other across a narrow canyon. It’s intriguing to observe the original carved interior tunnels that formerly connected the caves. The interior art spans a 1500-year period, from the Northern Wei to the Qing dynasty. Many show a distinctive Tibetan influence.

The only way to get out here is to hire a driver (¥400) for the half-day. Excellent English guides are available on-site for ¥15.

While the art at the Mògāo Grottoes is considered higher quality, the frescoes here are better preserved; there is little of the oxidation and thickening of painted lines so prevalent at Mògāo.

Jade Gate PassHISTORIC SITE

(玉门关, Yùmén Guān & 阳关, Yáng Guān Jade Gate ¥60, South Pass ¥40)

The Jade Gate Pass, 78km west of Dūnhuáng, was originally a military station. Together with Sun Pass, it formed part of the Han dynasty series of beacon towers that extended to the garrison town of Lóula’n in Xīnjiāng. Admission includes entry to a section of Han dynasty Great Wall (101 BC), impressive for its antiquity and lack of restoration; and the ruined city walls of Hécāng Chéng, 15km down a side road.

For caravans travelling westward, the Jade Gate marked the beginning of the northern route to Turpan and was one of the last outposts that travellers and banished criminals saw before leaving the Chinese empire. The Jade Gate derived its name from the important traffic in Khotanese jade that thrived along the Silk Road, which passed through here.

Tours that take in the Jade Gate Pass and Sun Pass, usually in combination with Yǎdān National Park, can be arranged at Charley Johng's Cafe.

Yǎdān National ParkDESERT

(雅丹国家地质公园; Yǎdān Guójiā Dìzhì Gōngyuán ¥120; h8am-5.30pm)

The weird, eroded desert landscape of Yǎdān National Park is 180km northwest of Dūnhuáng, in the middle of the Gobi Desert’s awesome nothingness. A former lake bed that eroded in spectacular fashion some 12,000 years ago, the strange rock formations provided the backdrop to the last scenes of Zhang Yimou’s film Hero. Tours (included in the price) are confined to group minibuses (with regular photo stops) to preserve the natural surrounds, but the desert landscape here is so dramatic you will still feel like you're at the ends of the earth.

To get to Yǎdān you have to pass through (and buy a ticket to) the Jade Gate Pass and Sun Pass. The best way to get here is to take one of two daily minibus tours (¥100 per person): the first departs at 7am and can be booked through Charley Johng’s Cafe; the other leaves at 12.30pm and is organised through the Shazhouyi International Youth Hostel. Tour prices don't include entrance fees to the individual sights. The 10- to 12-hour tours include a stop at the Jade Gate and Sun Passes and the Western Thousand Buddha Caves (西千佛洞, Xī Qiānfó Dòng ¥40; h8.30am-5pm).

TICKETS TO MòGāO GROTTOES

Though you used to be able to buy tickets to the Mògāo Grottoes directly at the entrance, the sight's popularity and relative ease of accessibility in recent years has meant that advance purchase is necessary. You can buy tickets online up to 14 days in advance at www.mgk.org.cn, although at the time of writing, this was Chinese-language only. Alternately, go to the Mògāo Grottoes Reservation and Ticket Center in Dūnhuáng when you arrive. Most hotels and hostels in Dūnhuáng can also book tickets, but may levy a surcharge.

Eastern Gānsù

Tiānshuǐ 天水

%0938 / Pop 3.26 million

Tiānshuǐ’s (天水) splendid Buddhist caves at nearby Màijī Shān entice a consistent flow of visitors. Though the city is not a draw in and of itself, it is a pleasant place to spend the night on the way to or from Màijī Shān and has enough dining and sleeping options to keep you occupied on your way through. The city has recently started to develop a waterside promenade along the Wei River that promises to become a very pleasant place for a stroll or evening beer.

Modern Tiānshuǐ is actually two very separate districts 15km apart: there is the railhead sprawl, known as Màijī Qū (麦积区; formerly Běidào), and the central commercial area to the west, known as Qínzhōu Qū (秦州区), where you’ll arrive if coming in by bus. The two sections are lashed together by a long freeway that runs along the river.

1Sights

Tiānshuǐ’s main draw is Màijī Shān, in the hills 35km south of town. Within walking distance of the Tiānshuǐ Dàjiǔdiàn hotel on the Qínzhōu side of town are two temples worth checking out if you have time to kill.

Fúxī TempleBUDDHIST TEMPLE

(伏羲庙; Fúxī Miào off Jiefang Lu, Qínzhōu; 秦州区解放路 ¥40; h8am-5.40pm)

This Ming dynasty temple was founded in 1483 in honour of Fúxī, the father and emperor of all Chinese people. The Tiānshuǐ resident's seminaked statue is in the main hall, along with traditional symbols such as bats, dragons and peonies. The hall ceiling's original paintings of the 64 hexagrams (varying combinations of the eight trigrams used in the I Ching) have uncanny similarities to computer binary language. It's worth visiting just for the 1000-year-old cypress tree in the tranquil gardens.

4Sleeping & Eating

If your aim is to get to Màijī Shān early, your best bet is to stay in Màijī Qū, the area around the railway station, which has a couple of decent Chinese-style business hotels. For better dining and nightlife options, opt to stay in Qínzhōu Qū.

In Qínzhōu Qū, you'll find good claypot, Sìchuān and noodle snack stalls, as well as fruit and nut sellers, around Tiānshuǐ Dàjiǔdiàn.

Tasty ròujiāmó and other fine snack food in Màijī Qū fill Erma Lu, a pedestrian street two blocks directly south of the train station.

Tiānshuǐ DàjiǔdiànHOTEL$

(%0938 828 9999; 1 Qinzhou Dazhong Nanlu; r ¥130; aiW)

This popular hotel is a solid choice in Qínzhōu district. The bus to Màijī Shān is just 200m south and restaurants abound. Standard rooms with private bathrooms are usually discounted up to 40%.

It's just opposite the main square, Zhōngxīn Guǎngchǎng.

Tiānshuǐ Garden HotelHOTEL$$

(天水花园酒店; Tiānshuǐ Huāyuán Jiǔdiàn %152 4937 3206; 1 Longchang Xilu, Màijī Qū; 麦积区隆昌西路1号 d ¥238; aiW)

This hotel is very handily located directly across from the train station. It's modern and clean, though the furnishings are showing a bit of wear and tear. The bus to Màijī Shān Grottoes departs from the stop on Longchang Lu just east of Bubei Lu.

Běidào Qīngzhēn Lǎozìhào Niúròu MiànguǎnNOODLES

(北道清真老字号牛肉面馆 Shangbu Lu Pedestrian St; 商埠路步行街 dishes ¥4-12; h7am-10pm)

Get a ticket from the kiosk out front and collect your beef noodles (niúròu miàn; ¥7) from the kitchen window inside. The noodles are excellent, infused with dollops of scarlet-red chilli oil. For extra meat, ask for jiāròu niúròumiàn (加肉牛肉面; ¥10). There's no English sign, but it's the green-and-white place roughly opposite a small branch of ICBC bank.

8Information

Bank of ChinaBANK

(中国银行, Zhōngguó Yínháng Longchang Lu; h8.30am-noon & 2.30-5.30pm)

Has Forex and an ATM.

8Getting There & Away

Bus

Buses leave from the long-distance bus station in Qínzhōu for the following destinations:

AHuīxiàn ¥35, three hours, hourly (7.20am to 6pm)

ALánzhōu ¥74, four hours, every 20 minutes (7.20am to 7pm)

ALínxià ¥99, seven hours, one daily (6.30am)

ALuòmén ¥25, two hours, three daily (7am, 11am and 2.30pm)

APíngliáng ¥65, five hours, hourly (7am to 3pm)

Train

Tiānshuǐ is on the Xī’ān–Lánzhōu rail line; there are dozens of daily trains in each direction.

ABǎojī Hard seat/soft sleeper ¥24/79, 2½ hours

ADìngxī Hard seat/soft sleeper ¥28/142, two to four hours

ALánzhōu Hard seat/soft sleeper ¥52/169, four hours

AXī’ān Hard seat/soft sleeper ¥51/165, five hours

8Getting Around

Taxis shuttle passengers between Qínzhōu Qū (from both the city bus station 200m south of the hotel and also from the long-distance bus station) and the train station in Màijī Qū. It costs ¥10 per person (¥40 for the whole taxi). Alternatively, take the much slower bus 1 or 6 (¥3, 40 minutes).

Around Tiānshuǐ

Màijī Shān GrottoesCAVES, BUDDHIST SITE

(麦积山石窟; Màijīshān Shíkū ¥90; h9am-5pm)

Set among wild, green mountains southeast of Tiānshuǐ, the grottoes of Màijī Shān hold some of the most famous Buddhist rock carvings along the Silk Road. The cliff sides of Màijī Shān are covered with 221 caves holding more than 7800 sculptures carved principally during the Northern Wei and Zhou dynasties (AD 386–581). The rock face rises in a steep ascent, with the hundreds of grottoes connected by a series of constructed walkways clinging to the sheer cliff.

Within the hard-to-miss Sui dynasty trinity of Buddha and two Bodhisattvas is the largest statue on the mountain: the cave’s central effigy of Buddha tops out at 15.7m. During restoration works on the statue in the late 1980s, a handwritten copy of the Sutra of Golden Light was discovered within the Buddha’s fan.

Vertigo-inducing catwalks and steep spiral stairways cling to the cliff face, affording close-ups of the art. It’s not certain just how the artists managed to clamber so high; one theory is that they created piles from blocks of wood reaching to the top of the mountain before moving down, gradually removing them as they descended.

A considerable amount of pigment still clings to many of the statues – a lot of which are actually made of clay rather than being hewn from rock – although you frequently have to climb up steps to peer at them through tight mesh grills with little natural illumination. Much, though, is clearly visible and most of the more impressive sculptures decorate the upper walkways, especially at cave 4.

At the time of writing, a new visitors centre was being constructed at the base of the mountain to replace the crescent of noodle stalls that previously served as the only refreshments on the mountain.

An English-speaking guide charges ¥50 for up to a group of five. It may be possible to view normally closed caves (such as cave 133) for an extra fee of ¥500 per group.

The admission ticket includes entry to Ruìyìng Monastery (瑞应寺; Ruìyìng Sì), at the base of the mountain, which acts as a small museum of selected statues. Across from the monastery is the start of a trail to a botanic garden (植物园; zhíwùyuán), which allows for a short cut back to the entrance gate through the forest. If you don't want to walk the 2km up the road from the ticket office to the cliff, ask for tickets for the sightseeing trolley (观光车; guānguāng chē; ¥15) when buying your entrance ticket.

You can also climb Xiāngjí Shān (香积山). For the trailhead, head back towards the visitor centre where the sightseeing bus drops you off and look for a sign down a side road to the left.

To reach Màijī Shān, take bus 34 (¥5 one way, one hour, every 15 minutes) from the bus shelter across from Tiānshuǐ Railway Station. It terminates at the Màijī Shān ticketing office.

Píngliáng 平凉

%0933 / Pop 2.06 million

A booming, midsized Chinese city, Píngliáng (平凉) is a logical base for visits to the nearby holy mountain of Kōngtóng Shān, which, according to Taoist legend, is where the Yellow Emperor came to meet the avatar Guangchengzi.

Kōngtóng ShānTAOIST TEMPLE

(崆峒山 high/low season ¥120/60; h8am-5pm)

Kōngtóng Shān, 11km west of Píngliáng, is one of the 12 principal peaks in the Taoist universe. It was first mentioned by the philosopher Zhuangzi (399–295 BC), and illustrious visitors have included none other than the Yellow Emperor. Numerous paths lead over the hilltop past dozens of picturesque (though entirely restored) temples to the summit at over 2100m. While the mountain is an enchanting place to hike, those looking for genuine historical artefacts or ambience will be disappointed.

From the north gate visitor centre (pick up a free map here to orient yourself) catch a bus to Zhōngtái (¥32) or Xiāngshān (¥48); both are essentially small visitor areas on the mountain with paths radiating out to lookouts and temples.

A taxi from Píngliáng will cost ¥30, or you can catch bus 16 (¥1) on Xi Dajie and then transfer to bus 13 (¥2) when you reach Kongtong Dadao. Bus 13 drops you off right in front of the main visitor centre before continuing on to the East Gate. At the end of your visit you can walk down from Zhōngtái to the East Gate and catch bus 13 back to town.

Accommodation in Píngliáng is limited to just-fine Chinese-style hotels.

Just off the main street (Xi Dajie), look for the Sìzhōng Alley market (四中巷市场; Sìzhōng Xiàng Shìchǎng). There are numerous restaurants here, and more food stalls serving noodles, spicy hotpot and barbecued meats, as well as fresh fruit.

Píngliáng HotelHOTEL$$

(平凉宾馆; Píngliáng Bīnguǎn %0933 821 9485; 86 Xi Dajie; 西大街86号 tw/d ¥216/250; aiW)

The top hotel in town has a grandiose marble lobby and spacious rooms with modern furnishings in subtle colours. Expect discounts up to 40%.

8Getting There & Away

Bus

The following services depart from Píngliáng’s main bus station, in the western part of town on Lai Yuan Lu:

AGùyuán ¥24, 1½ hours, frequent

ALánzhōu ¥105, five hours, hourly (6.30am to 5.30pm)

ATiānshuǐ ¥65, seven hours, one daily (9am)

AXī’ān ¥88, six hours, every 40 minutes (6.20am to 6pm)

For Tiānshuǐ there are more frequent departures from the east bus station (qìchē dōngzhàn).

Train

The train station is in the northeastern part of town. It’s better to take a bus to Xī’ān as trains either leave or arrive at very inconvenient hours.

ALánzhōu Seat/hard sleeper ¥49/109, 11½ hours, one daily leaving at 9.53pm

AXī’ān Hard seat/soft sleeper ¥53/172, five to six hours

ABǎojī Hard seat/soft sleeper ¥33/134, four hours

8Getting Around

Bus 1 (¥2) runs from the train station to Xi Dajie. A taxi costs ¥10. From Xi Dajie to the bus station costs ¥4 or take bus 16 (¥1).